clown loach and snails

[esoxlucius]

For those clown loach keepers out there who supplement their loaches diet with snails. Are common garden snails ok to use? If so, do you wash and freeze them first to kill any nasties? When thawed back out do you throw them in whole or take the shell off? If you throw them in with the shell on do they sink or float (air pockets in shell). If they float how does a bottom feeding clown loach deal with them!

Or do you guys only use aquatic snails and let them breed and the loaches just keep them in check? Do aquatic snails cause problems with blocking pipework up?

 

[tlindsey]

For those clown loach keepers out there who supplement their loaches diet with snails. Are common garden snails ok to use? If so, do you wash and freeze them first to kill any nasties? When thawed back out do you throw them in whole or take the shell off? If you throw them in with the shell on do they sink or float (air pockets in shell). If they float how does a bottom feeding clown loach deal with them!

Or do you guys only use aquatic snails and let them breed and the loaches just keep them in check? Do aquatic snails cause problems with blocking pipework up?

You could breed aquatic snails in a large jar or bucket. They probably have a chance to clog up pipework the aquarium would have to be infested with snails.https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/snail-question.536093/

 

[esoxlucius]

You could breed aquatic snails in a large jar or bucket. They probably have a chance to clog up pipework the aquarium would have to be infested with snails.https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/snail-question.536093/

What breed of aquatic snail breeds fast and stays small and are there any nasty snails that need to be avoided. That's not a bad idea breeding them in a small tank. I have a small 10g empty somewhere.

 

[tlindsey]

What breed of aquatic snail breeds fast and stays small and are there any nasty snails that need to be avoided. That's not a bad idea breeding them in a small tank. I have a small 10g empty somewhere.

Ramshorn would be my choice only something like pond snails would be your nasty ones due to risk of them carrying parasites.https://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwsnails

 

[RD.]

I would personally not trust any source or supply of snails, outside of what I have personally bred under controlled conditions. My tank that contains adult clown loaches has MTS, the loaches don't eat them.

 

[esoxlucius]

I would personally not trust any source or supply of snails, outside of what I have personally bred under controlled conditions. My tank that contains adult clown loaches has MTS, the loaches don't eat them.

Is there a specific reason why your loach don't eat your MTS (I presume they're Malaysian trumpet snails)? Are they simply too large a breed of snail for them to handle or are yours happy enough on the diet you feed already? As you can tell I don't know a great deal about them. I'm led to believe that clown loach are voracious when it comes to snails, maybe not as voracious as people say?

 

[RD.]

Yes, Malaysian trumpet snails, which are very small, and too hard, for an adult CL to bother with.

 

[Zanzag]

I dont know about loaches, but as far as fish eating MTS i find plenty of empty shells over 3/4". Smaller than that they seem to be left alone.

 

[Matteus]

So I thought it was a good idea to feed mine snails from an auction. I got away with it a few times. Then on this last batch something went wrong. I don’t think all snails are carrying parasites necessarily, but one of my cl’s picked something up. By the time I had realized, it was a bit too late. I put it in qt and tried to treat it, but it wouldn’t eat anything so ended up dying.

I don’t really know of how to treat snails for parasites other than feed them food with medication? But after that experience I am on the same page as Neil imo.

 

[RD.]

I dont know about loaches, but as far as fish eating MTS i find plenty of empty shells over 3/4". Smaller than that they seem to be left alone.

Most of mine get sucked up via hose, or washed out of the filter media, long before they ever reach anywhere close to that size.



Matteus - sorry to hear that your loach didn't make it.