Greatest Snail Consuming Fish For Your Aquarium (Management Outbreaks)

Most individuals don’t thoughts a couple of snails right here and there, however after they’re overlaying each accessible floor within the tank, it could possibly really feel like a bit a lot.

Pest snails normally hitch a journey into show tanks on stay crops. Strive as you would possibly, it may be straightforward to overlook a tiny glob of snail eggs hooked up to a stem.

However don’t fear when you have pest snails, listed here are species which can be utilized to manage outbreaks in your tank.

Greatest Snail Consuming Fish

1. Zebra Loach

• Minimal tank: 40 gallon (151 liter)
• Measurement: 4 inches (10 centimeters)
• Temperature:  73°-79°F (23°-26°C)
• Food plan: omnivore
• Conduct: peaceable shoaling, backside dwelling fish

I put this fish on the prime of the listing intentionally. This species is my primary selection for a snail consuming fish.

They’re lovely and retain their beautiful grey, gold and darkish brown pinstripes their complete lives.

Additionally, zebra loaches solely develop to be 4 inches lengthy, in comparison with clown loaches that develop over a foot lengthy.

Zebra loaches are a way more sensible selection for the common aquarist to accommodate long run. Do take into account, they should be stored in a bunch of 5 or extra.

And consider me, they may devour any snail in sight. They’ll systematically seek out each final one. 

They’ve specialised grinding enamel that permit them crunch up any snail that may match of their mouths. Any snail too large to slot in their mouths can be snatched out of their shells and eaten that manner.

I extremely suggest this species, I’ve stored them for years, and they’re only a pleasure.

2. Yoyo Loach

• Minimal tank: 55 gallon (208 liter)
• Measurement: 6 inches (​​15 centimeters)
• Temperature: 75°-80°F (24°-27°C)
• Food plan: omnivore
• Conduct: peaceable shoaling, backside dwelling fish

This cousin of the zebra and clown loach is one other nice snail consuming fish.

Please, take into account, these fish develop to be 6 inches in size and should be stored in a bunch of 5 or extra. So, they want a minimum of a 55 gallon tank.

Life fish shops promote these fish as juveniles, and it’s possible you’ll be taken with their putting black and white shade in a sample that spells ‘’yoyo’’ down their sides. 

However, please be aware, these fish will look completely different as adults. Their shade will change to a darkish grey over a lighter grey. And the sample will change into extra reticulated, making them seem like they’re lined in grey camo. 

They’re nonetheless actually neat trying, however in the event you’re largely swayed by their juvenile coloration, simply comprehend it’s not going to remain that manner endlessly. 

Like zebra loaches, yoyos are nice backside feeders and are quirky, attention-grabbing fish.

3. Clown Loaches

• Minimal tank: 150 gallon (568 liter)
• Measurement: 12 inches (30 centimeters)
• Temperature: 77°-82°F (25°-28°C)
• Food plan: omnivore
• Conduct: peaceable shoaling, backside dwelling fish

OK I don’t wish to make it appear as if I don’t like clown loaches. I completely love these fish. They’ve nice personalities. I might watch all of them day. 

However, they get HUGE and it’s simply not sensible for many hobbyists to accommodate them. They want a minimum of a 150 gallon tank. Clown loaches develop to 12 inches lengthy and should be stored in a bunch of a minimum of 5. 

I’m an absolute aquarium nerd and I don’t have a tank that may accommodate this species. I want I did, however my greatest tanks are solely 55 gallons, manner too small for clown loaches long run. 

However, in the event you do have a tank that large, I extremely suggest this species. A faculty of clown loaches is just superb. They shoal collectively and tumble over one another as they play and feed.

They’ll destroy any snails within the tank briefly order. 

Additionally although, simply remember, that as they age, clown loaches don’t stay vivid orange. They change into a dusky sundown gold kinda shade and their stripes change into a much less outstanding brown.

They’re nonetheless cool trying, however they don’t have that very same superior vivid tiger-like look after they mature.

4. Goldfish

• Minimal tank: 40 gallon (151 liter)
• Measurement: 8 inches (20 centimeters)
• Temperature: 40°-75°F (4°-24°C)
• Food plan: omnivore
• Conduct: peaceable however will eat smaller fish

Goldfish completely will go round and eat any snails that may match of their mouths. These guys will eat absolutely anything that’s not nailed down as a normal rule.

The issue is, goldfish will not be good neighborhood fish. They add an unlimited bio load to your system, they may swallow any fish smaller than them, and so they should be in an unheated tank, making them incompatible with most tropical fish species.

They’re additionally infamous for uprooting, tearing aside, and devouring most life crops. So, they’ll flip any lovely, backyard – like, scaped tank right into a barren desert inside weeks, possibly even simply days.

Goldfish can get the job accomplished, they’ll eat up the snails, however in addition they would possibly eat up your crops and different tank inhabitants. It’s bought to be simply the correct of arrange to make use of these guys.

5. Pea Puffer

• Minimal tank: 5 gallons (19 liters)
• Measurement: 1 inches (2.5 centimeters)
• Temperature: 74°-82°F (23°-28°C)
• Food plan: carnivore 
• Conduct: solitary, territorial, aggressive fish 

Pea puffers are completely cute and have superior personalities.

I’ve usually heard them known as “water puppies.“ They’re very conscious of their environment, and can gladly work together with their human caretakers.

They usually’re tremendous small dimension implies that they will stay in one thing as small as a 5 gallon tank.

However, there are some drawbacks. 

These little guys would possibly seem like an cute, cartoon character, however they are often fairly downright imply. They’ve a tough beak on their mouth that may take chunks out of fins, flesh, and even eyeballs.

It’s usually finest that you just maintain them in a species solely tank. And in small tanks (beneath 15 gallons), you possibly can most likely solely maintain a single puffer as they are often fairly territorial and aggressive with their very own sort. 

However, in the event you’re desirous to do away with snails in a small planted tank, this fish will certainly do the job, and also you’ll most likely fall in love with it. 

As soon as the puffer has crushed down the snail inhabitants, you’ll need to offer them with stay and frozen meals, like bloodworms and shrimp.

Snail-Crusher Hap

• Minimal tank: 75 gallon (340 liter)
• Measurement: 10 inches (25 centimeters)
• Temperature: 75°-82°F (24°-28°C)
• Food plan: omnivore 
• Conduct: aggressive education fish, can solely be stored with different Hap cichlids. For superior fishkeepers solely!

I solely suggest these fish for fishkeepers with lots of expertise. 

The snail – crusher hap may be fairly arduous to search out, however when you have a snail drawback in a Lake Malawi cichlid tank, these fish will get it taken care of for you.

Males develop to be 10 inches lengthy, so that they require fairly a big tank.

A faculty ought to consist of 1 male and several other females.

If you need to maintain different Lake Malawi cichlids, you’ll want a minimum of a 150 gallon tank, as these fish may be fairly territorial, particularly when breeding.

The males have an eye catching blue shade and so they’re very lively and fiesty. 

6. Murderer Snail

• Minimal tank: 30 gallon (113 liter)
• Measurement: 0.75-1.5 inches (2-3 centimeters)
• Temperature: 68°-80°F (20°-27°C)
• Food plan: carnivore
• Conduct: predatory snail. Peaceable with fish however will eat invertebrates. 

OK I’ll grant you. This one isn’t a fish, however they do eat snails.

Assassin snails are actually neat trying with spiral shells with gold and brown stripes on them.

True to their title, they may scour the tank and eat any snails that they discover.

They’re too sluggish to hurt wholesome fish, however they may go after shrimp in the event that they run out of snails.

However, assassins do breed fairly simply in an aquarium, albeit at a slower tempo. So, you would possibly commerce one type of snail inhabitants for one more one.

However since they breed pretty slowly, assassins don’t overrun the tank like pest snails do. 

They do have some worth within the aquarium commerce, in contrast to pond snails or bladder snails. You’ll be able to accumulate adults and may possibly promote or commerce them with different aquarists or mom-and-pop stay fish shops. 

And, though they’re good for cleansing uneaten fish meals, remember that they don’t eat algae.

The place do pest snails come from within the first place?

Pest snails normally hitch a journey into show tanks on stay crops. Strive as you would possibly, it may be straightforward to overlook a tiny glob of snail eggs hooked up to a stem. 

They will additionally journey in on decor from one other tank, with bagged fish from the stay fish retailer, even on filter media used to jumpstart a tank’s cycle.

Typically, the eggs will survive even a bleach dip.

Why do snail populations get uncontrolled?

However, the snails want a meals supply to ensure that their numbers to get uncontrolled. All these snails have gotten to be consuming one thing.

So, an enormous snail infestation implies that one thing within the tank is out of steadiness. It might be that you just’re overfeeding, a bunch of meals is getting left by the fish, and the snails are fortunately munching on it for you.

It might be that your lights are too intense, or are left on too lengthy, inflicting extra algae, and that’s what’s feeding the snails.  

Long run, you’ve bought to establish and lower off the snails’ meals supply to actually do away with them.

And, if it’s extra algae that’s feeding them, it’s possible you’ll introduce snail consuming fish, solely to search out that you just now have a large algae drawback, since you eradicated the snails that had been retaining it at bay.

However, snail consuming fish can positively make it easier to do away with all of the snails you have already got whereas you determine learn how to lower off their meals supply long run. 

Hold Pest Snails Below Management

By and enormous, I feel the most effective snail consuming fish, particularly when you have a tropical neighborhood tank, are loaches. 

Most different snail consuming fish, simply don’t make good neighborhood tank mates. Many should be stored in a species solely tank and aren’t an excellent match for many present setups.

Loaches, alternatively, are nice neighborhood fish, and are really fulfilling to observe.

Simply just be sure you maintain them in as massive a bunch as doable. 5 could be absolutely the minimal.

And just be sure you get a species that’s suited to the dimensions of your tank long-term.

Loaches are pretty hardy and undemanding and stay a extremely very long time. I feel they’re tremendous cool.

I hope you discover this text useful.

I want you and your fish the easiest.