What kind of freshwater fish eat snails

These fish are also heavily protected thanks to their curved spines and sharp fin rays. In the wild, they often consume shrimp, snails, and insects. In captivity, the fish will eat much of the same thing, making them a great choice for getting rid of snails in your aquarium. The Clown Loach has quite the reputation as a snail-eating fish and for good reason. You might see them patrolling the waters before quickly digging under the substrate. This makes them highly efficient at getting rid of snails that like to burrow and hide.

They get along with other non-aggressive fish species and do very well in large community tanks. They also adapt well to basic freshwater conditions. The species prefers temperatures around 78 degrees, neutral pH balance, and moderate water hardness. Naturally found throughout Southeast Asia, Gouramis are a very popular species in the aquarium trade. Covered in shades of blue, silver, and even red, they can add a lot of life to an underwater environment.

Gouramis belong to a special class of fish. As a result, these fish are very hardy and capable of living in low-oxygen environments. For the most part, Gouramis are quite peaceful and only get aggressive in overcrowded tanks.

These fish are powerful enough to rip snails right from their shells as a snack. There are plenty of species to choose from, but we recommend giving Dwarf Gourami a shot. The Dwarf Chain Loach is an interesting fish with a distinct look. Endemic to Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, these are shoaling fish that typically occupy the bottom of the water column. Chain Loaches get their name from their appearance.

The top half of the body features a thick band of black. However, spots of silver run along the entire band, giving it the appearance of a metal chain! Like other loaches, this species has delicate barbels that they use to hunt for food. You can often find them in large groups searching for snails to eat and other snacks in the substrate. Despite what their name would leave you to believe, Bala Sharks are not aggressive creatures. They will, however, eat smaller creatures they find in the tank.

This includes snails, small fish, and shrimp. Some snails, such as the Mystery Snail and Nerite Snail sold in fish stores are nice additions to aquariums and do not readily multiply in the aquarium, But Pond Snails, Rams Horn Snails and Trumpet Snails can rapidly reproduce and overrun a tank quickly. One day you gaze at your aquarium and notice a small snail on the glass.

It looks harmless enough. A week later, the snail has half a dozen companions. Before you know it, the tank is crawling with them. Where did they come from? How did they multiply so rapidly? More importantly, what can you do to get rid of them? Anyone who has fought the snail battle knows it is a tough one, but there are things you can do to keep them at bay.

When you set up your aquarium there were no snails in it, so where did they come from? Snails usually arrive on plants in the tank, either as grown snails or as packets of eggs on the plant. Sometimes they arrive with the fish, having been scooped up when the fish was netted at the store and were added to the aquarium with the water in the transport bag. All it takes is one stray snail or a few eggs, and you have a resident snail population in your tank. Perhaps the most astonishing thing about snails is how easily they multiply, especially when there was only one snail to start with.

I never noticed any of them eating snails, or having any impact on the resident pest snail population. However, if you intend to have them anyway, keep an eye out and see how they do. As with any fish, do your research beforehand. Gouramis have some complex behavioral issues that can sometimes result in bullying and stress for a weaker fish.

And, as we know, stress is the biggest reason fish die in aquariums. Many fish keepers attest that gouramis will eat snails in a tropical fish tank. Do betta fish eat snails? Many fish keepers will tell you yes, but I have personally never seen it.

However, I do think there are probably cases where they will. Another reason I think they might is that they sometimes pick on apple and mystery snails. The truth is every betta behaves differently, and some are more likely to munch on gastropods than others. Cories are a type of catfish.

They probably will not eat snails, though some say they will eat small ones. However, they are industrious scavengers that may eat or damage snail eggs. These guys do a solid job of general tank maintenance all around, and so they are always a good fish to have in a community tank. If they gobble up a few snail eggs here and there all the better. Even if they do, remember that there are places in the tank your cories are not going to be able to reach. Again, always be sure to feed sinking pellets when you have bottom dwellers like cories and loaches in your tank.

While they will eat some flake food that drifts down to the bottom, it is tough for them to compete with the fish swimming above them. Sinking pellets ensure they get the nutrition they need. Cory cats are scavengers that may eat or damage snail eggs. Long ago, before I knew enough about them, I had a pair of bala sharks in a gallon tank.

The tank had previously suffered from a small-scale snail outbreak. A few weeks after introducing the bala sharks I suddenly realized there were no more snails in the tank. To be clear, I am not saying that bala sharks are the answer to your snail problem.

As I discovered several years later, bala sharks are very large fish. They grow into huge fish as adults, and they need to be kept in schools. Large goldfish will often eat snails. Be aware that goldfish are not tropical fish , which is why I said a cold-water tank. They need cooler temperatures. Unwanted snails can be annoying so introducing fish that see them as dinner can be a great solution.

However, what fish eat water snails? Before adding anything to battle all the dozens of tiny pest snails in your tank, there is something that you should do: find the cause.

I can tell you where the first couple of snails came from, but there is a reason they start to multiply as fast as they do. The first couple of tiny pest snails hitchhiked into your aquarium.

Most of the times there are either snails or snail eggs stuck to aquarium plants that you add to the tank. However, the most probably reason why these tiny snails take over an aquarium is because of overfeeding. If you feed more than your aquarium fish can eat, the leftovers will fall down to the substrate. This will prevent the remaining snails of spreading. From here you can either lure all the snails with a piece of cucumber and remove them by hand, or introduce a new tank inhabitant to do the dirty work for you.

Before jumping straight to the list, you need to know that it can be tricky to add a fish just to eat some snails. You need to be able to take care of the new fish in the long term too. Your tank must be able to provide what the new fish needs and meet all the requirements. This is something people sometimes forget when trying to fix a snail problem.