Small fish that snack on snails

[Quokka]

Hello,

are there any smallish (2"~3") fish that enjoy ramshorn snails as a snack?

I know clown loaches and puffers, as well as cichlids in general will eat them but they grow too big/are too aggressive/have compatibility issues.

Over here in South Korea the African butterfly cichlid Anomalochromis thomasi has a reputation of being a good snail eater but I would have to personally test to find out as there does not seem to be much supporting info on the Internet on this.

Besides A.thomasi....Are there some smaller species of catfish or loach would eat them? They are red ramshorn snails. I actually like keeping them but when the numbers get too much to control they have to be reduced.....

[bekateen]

Perhaps

Hypancistus vandragti

for SMALL snails. Wild-caught vandragti have been found with snail shells in their stomach contents. But I don't expect they will have enough of an appetite to "control" the snails effectively.

Cheers, Eric

[Bas Pels]

There are more species in the familie Botidea, such as the former B sidheymunckey from Thailand growing to 5 cm, or almost any other from this familie which suits the measures

[TwoTankAmin]

I can confirm that sidthimunkis will eat small snails. I have kept them for about 15 years now. They cannot eat larger ones. My clown loaches, when smaller would eat all size snails. however, they are now pretty big and I stopped dropping pond snails into their tank as I believe they suck the snail out of the shell to eat it. I became fearful they would suck in the whole thing shell and all and that might be bad. However, most loach species do best in groups., including sids. Sids are active at all levels of a tank.

Some of my Hypancistrus plecos eat snails but they are not really appropriate for community tanks, imo.

I use assassin snails to control pond snails. I collect the pond ones from other tanks and put them into tanks with assassins. But the assassins will reproduce in tanks, I just put mine into my fish club auction at each monthly meeting to hold down numbers.

When I run out of pond snails, I feed the assassins Hikari Algae wafers:

[bekateen]

I use assassin snails in one tank, but eventually they die even though I still have pond snails. Don't know why they don't reproduce.

[Jools]

They reproduce slowly and also need fed carefully. They’re great snail eaters and I’ve kept them with cherry shrimp in most pleco only breeding setups. Jx

[TwoTankAmin]

They reproduce a lot faster that folks think, The babies go into the substrate to hide while they grow. Rake through the substrate and see how many turn up. About 5 - 6 years ago I started with 15 assassins, Since then I have sold or given away hundreds. I started with them in the tank pictured. I now have them in about 7-8 tanks.

When I asked Rachel of Inverts by msjinkzd if fish eggs were safe from assassins, she told me she could not guarantee it. I then removed all the assassins from my breeder tanks. I figured better safe than sorry. I only keep amano shrimp and they will eat eggs or small fish, especially fry if they can catch them.

[stuby]

I use assassin snails in one tank, but eventually they die even though I still have pond snails. Don't know why they don't reproduce.

I've had to get rid of about 3 or 4 thousand or them over the last month.... please let me know what you are doing so I can control the assassin snails better! lol

Take care,
Chuck

[stuby]

They reproduce a lot faster that folks think, The babies go into the substrate to hide while they grow. Rake through the substrate and see how many turn up. About 5 - 6 years ago I started with 15 assassins, Since then I have sold or given away hundreds. I started with them in the tank pictured. I now have them in about 7-8 tanks.

When I asked Rachel of Inverts by msjinkzd if fish eggs were safe from assassins, she told me she could not guarantee it. I then removed all the assassins from my breeder tanks. I figured better safe than sorry. I only keep amano shrimp and they will eat eggs or small fish, especially fry if they can catch them.

They will eat eggs.... any tanks I have assassin snails in and the eggs get kicked the assassin snails attack!! I am in the process of removing most of my assassin snails but I have many tanks with them.

[Quokka]

Thanks for all the replies guys! The dwarf chain loaches are rare here but I will look into them! Them and Anomalochromis thomasi!

Assassin snails are banned here so I am unable to get a hold of them...which is a shame considering they are quite pretty.

Maybe true upside down catfish (Synodontis nigriventris) will eat ramshorn snails too?

[bekateen]

I've had to get rid of about 3 or 4 thousand or them over the last month.... please let me know what you are doing so I can control the assassin snails better! lol

Wish I could tell you. I keep buying more assassins, then they die after a couple of months. I've got MTS and pond snails in other tanks I'd love to wipe out.


Cheers, Eric

[Jools]

They don’t do well in soft water and they’re not as prolific in sand substate tanks and I think that’s a major driver.

Just my experience but no issues with egg eating etc.

Jools

[bekateen]

My water isn't soft, but I do have a sand substrate.

[YSR50]

I have the same experience as stuby. All but one of my tanks are bare bottom so it's become easier for me to control pond snails in those tanks than dealing with assassin snails. My one tank with substrate is majorly overrun with assassins, which I refer to as zombie snails due to the fact that they emerge from the sand and gravel the second food gets dropped in, or when my sterbai scatter eggs on the glass.

[Froeschli]

I'll have to look those up too.
I have a large mystery snail so assassins would probably just go slurp up that one rather than hunt down the tiny pond snails.
My guppies will eat the little snails if I crush them first. But finding those pests is a job and a half.