Overrun by Snails

[jawert1]

Approx. 2 months ago I started off my aquarium with live plants, then a month later added 3 zebra dainios (hearty girls too!). I spotted the first snail not long after I got the fish, promptly scooped it out, and didn't think much of it. Then I saw a 2nd, and a 3rd, and a 4th and well...they're outta hand now. I called the freshwater aquarium store I frequent to ask advice, which ended up being a 2 parter. 1) get Yoyo or Clown loaches (which they didn't stock - nor did anyone else) or 2) snailicide the tank. I purchased a well stocked brand of snailicide and treated the tank. 4 days later, the snails are STILL being fruitful and multiplying, and to redose the tank, I'd have to do a 50% water change (29 gal tank), which is painful. Any ideas?

[Sneaky]

Hi there,
For snails, really the snailacides arent a good idea,
as they usually damage plants and fish.
Crush the snails against the side, or
buy a fish that eats snails.
For a 29g tank please dont get clown loaches.
Clowns grow to a foot in length.
YoYo Loaches, Polka Dot Loaches, Queen Loaches,
all eat snails. So do Freshwater Dwarf Puffers.

Another option is to strip the tank, replace the substrate,
scrub everything and soak the tank and plants in alum.
Always soak new plants in a solution of water and alum to kill
snail eggs.
Good luck.

[Coco&Maya]

I would advise against dwarf puffers unless you are going to have them in a species tank. They are not recomended in a community tank as they are very agressive, and the danios will freak them out (being so zippy) They will be stressed. I would not put them in a tank that is over run with snails, as they seem to have no off switch when it comes to food. I once put 2 in a tank that had about 10 fairly big pond snails in it, I figured that they would eat the snails slowly ( was a heavily planted tank and I figured they wouldn't find them right away). I had a snail shell graveyard in 24 hours, and 2 obesse puffers.

[Sneaky]

Coco and Maya - good point.
I assumed someone would do research before
rushing out and getting them.
I actually would say no the danios wouldnt freak
the dwarf puffers out - they would probably piss
them off and the dwarf puffers would end up killing
the danios.
Thats why puffers should be kept in species tanks -
they are highly aggressive.

[jawert1]

I actually wound up getting a yoyo loach since they stay considerably smaller than their cousins. Kinda funny though, the dainios are schooling with the loach and they all get on quite well Thanks for the advice, fish I think are harder than the furry kind

[Sneaky]

Hi there,
just a quick comment. Yoyo loaches, while growing to 4-5 inches
are quite a bit smaller than other larger loaches like clowns and
the like. However, like their larger cousins they should be kept
in a group. Often loaches being highly sensitive will die of loneliness
if kept alone. They should always be kept in a group of 3 minimum to prevent this. In the wild they live in groups numbering in the thousands.
They need to be kept in a school.
Your tank, if not overstocked already, could easilyhandle a group of
3 yoyos. And besides - the ways they interact and their social behaviour
overall is amazing and fun to watch. Please dont deny them, or yourself,
this joy!
Mine are absolutely inseperable!