# Need some snail control ideas



## FAIRCHILD (Jun 30, 2011)

I am looking to weed out some of my ordinary snails with a loach. However, the tank I am wanting to weed out has a nice big Mystery snail I DO NOT want to lose, would the loach get to him or is he too big? Or would moving him be the best bet? 

Thanks in advance!


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

How big is the Mystery snail? Is your tank big enough for a Loach? (They can get quite big.)

Have you though about Assassin snails? They will eat pest snails, and _shouldn't_ bother with the Mystery snail _if_ he is big enough. Once all the pest snails are gone, they will go along the bottom, eating leftover meaty foods.

If you feed less, your pest snail population should drop as well.


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## FAIRCHILD (Jun 30, 2011)

It's a 55 gallon community tank. Are loach's aggressive towards other fish as well?


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

What type of Loach are you thinking of? Clown Loaches are known snail eaters, but grow to be 6+ inches (even up to a foot!) and also need to be in a school, so you'll need a really big tank for them.

I found this: 

"The clown loach is relatively peaceful, but is nonetheless *a large fish when full grown with a preference for live foods. To a foot long fish inch-long tetra look very like live foods, so care should be exercised in choosing tank mates. They will be happiest in small shoals, so unless you have a huge aquarium there is unlikely to be room for many tankmates once they reach maturity anyway, although juveniles will occasionally join up with other shoaling fish in the aquarium.* Loaches are mainly nocturnal, but clown loaches are more active during the day than many of their relatives, and generally provide an active and interesting aquarium display throughout the day."


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

You can get the smaller species like yoyo loach, zipper loach and a few others. I have clowns in my 220 and they will reach 12 inches. I have nerites in there that they don't bother I'm not sure about mystery snails as I don't have any in there.


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## harveya (Aug 12, 2011)

I have 3 zebra loaches and they took care of my small snail problem. They don't grow anywhere near the size of a clown and do well in a community tank. Cool fish to look at swell. Do your research well with loaches. Many will grow massive, some are not good in a tank with fish the size of neons and other will make a massive mess of you substrate. Zebras fitted my needs perfectly.


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## FAIRCHILD (Jun 30, 2011)

Picked up a Yo Yo Loach today, and he buddied up with my 6 Cory's. Not eating any snails yet though


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

You need to add a couple more! Loaches are a social fish and you need at least 3


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## harveya (Aug 12, 2011)

Agreed you will need at least 3, they are very social with there own kind. My zebra all stick together. As for the snails, I think I only saw mine eat a snail once and was thinking are they going to eat them?? Before I knew it I had no snails left! Not sure if they eat at night or not, maybe during the day when I am at work, who knows.... The only thing I do know is in a week or 2 snails were gone . Might have to go to the LHS and see if I can get some snails from them... They are a cool fish, though shy and will take some time to adjust.


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## Chillwill007 (Aug 20, 2010)

Sorry to thread jack but do u think I could put 3 clown loaches in a 75g?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

You can if you plan to upgrade in the future or have plans to rehome when they just about get to big for the tank.


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## harveya (Aug 12, 2011)

Be mindful in a group of 3 you will need plent of hiding places. I have read clowns do better in a group of say 6, but how many people have a tank big enough to accomidate 6 of them!! That being said 3 is ok, they just need to hide. What other fish are in the 75gal?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

!ME!


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## harveya (Aug 12, 2011)

Lol I would think so with 40 odd tanks .


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## Avocado Man (Mar 6, 2010)

I am also having a similar snail problem - can I place 3 yo-yo loaches in a 20-gallon tank? I have a moderately planted tank with a small piece of driftwood, and currently there are 5 zebra danios, one platy, and two otocincluses.


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