snails...

[Jon Pike]

Okie doke. So my tanks are completely infested with snails.
I've heard some people say "get loaches" but the kuhli's I got aren't doing
much at all.
I've also heard people say "never use those snail killing chemicals" but
I've never really heard why.

Any other ways of getting rid of -all- the snails (without restarting the
entire tank)? Thoughts on snail chemicals?

--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

[Ali Day]

"Jon Pike" > wrote in message
. 159...
> Okie doke. So my tanks are completely infested with snails.
> I've heard some people say "get loaches" but the kuhli's I got aren't
doing
> much at all.

I've never heard of Kuhli's going for snails (not to say they don't),
Clown's are the most voracious snail killers IMO, I keep a load of snails in
my pre-filter box, and once in a blue moon one makes the escape to victory,
soon to be had by the clowns.

A

[Jon Pike]

"Ali Day" > wrote in
:

> "Jon Pike" > wrote in message
> . 159...
>> Okie doke. So my tanks are completely infested with snails.
>> I've heard some people say "get loaches" but the kuhli's I got aren't
> doing
>> much at all.
>
> I've never heard of Kuhli's going for snails (not to say they don't),
> Clown's are the most voracious snail killers IMO, I keep a load of
> snails in my pre-filter box, and once in a blue moon one makes the
> escape to victory, soon to be had by the clowns.

Hm. I could put some clowns in too I guess...
the people at the LFS said the kuhli's would go for snails too.



--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

[Pepe]

"Jon Pike" > skrev i meddelandet
. 159...
> Okie doke. So my tanks are completely infested with snails.
> I've heard some people say "get loaches" but the kuhli's I got aren't
> doing
> much at all.
> I've also heard people say "never use those snail killing chemicals" but
> I've never really heard why.
>
> Any other ways of getting rid of -all- the snails (without restarting the
> entire tank)? Thoughts on snail chemicals?
>
> --
> http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

Clown loaches are No1 when it comes to get rid of snails.
You need to keep them in a number or 5 - 6 fish to make them
comfortable. The biggest problem I had, was after two weeks there
was no more snails, means no more food for the fish. Well they eat
the most food like cats food (dry pellets), bloodworms and scrimps.
But also dry flakes are OK when they are hungry.
I like hungry fish, they keep the tank clean! I have never used any
kind of chemicals in my tank.
Here are some pictures of the tank, before the Clowns arrived.
<http://www.algonet.se/~maxxl/akvarium/akvarium.htm>

Pepe

[Jon Pike]

"Pepe" > wrote in
:

>
> "Jon Pike" > skrev i meddelandet
> . 159...
>> Okie doke. So my tanks are completely infested with snails.
>> I've heard some people say "get loaches" but the kuhli's I got aren't
>> doing
>> much at all.
>> I've also heard people say "never use those snail killing chemicals"
>> but I've never really heard why.
>>
>> Any other ways of getting rid of -all- the snails (without restarting
>> the entire tank)? Thoughts on snail chemicals?
>>
>> --
>> http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet
>
> Clown loaches are No1 when it comes to get rid of snails.
> You need to keep them in a number or 5 - 6 fish to make them
> comfortable. The biggest problem I had, was after two weeks there
> was no more snails, means no more food for the fish. Well they eat
> the most food like cats food (dry pellets), bloodworms and scrimps.
> But also dry flakes are OK when they are hungry.
> I like hungry fish, they keep the tank clean! I have never used any
> kind of chemicals in my tank.
> Here are some pictures of the tank, before the Clowns arrived.
> <http://www.algonet.se/~maxxl/akvarium/akvarium.htm>

That page gives me errors and no images :(
guess i'll hafta ask santa for some clown loaches then.

Do they need to be trained to eat snails, or will they just recognize them
as tasty?


--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

[Ali Day]

"Jon Pike" > wrote in message
. 159...
> "Pepe" > wrote in
> :
>
> >
> > "Jon Pike" > skrev i meddelandet
> > . 159...
> >> Okie doke. So my tanks are completely infested with snails.
> >> I've heard some people say "get loaches" but the kuhli's I got aren't
> >> doing
> >> much at all.
> >> I've also heard people say "never use those snail killing chemicals"
> >> but I've never really heard why.
> >>
> >> Any other ways of getting rid of -all- the snails (without restarting
> >> the entire tank)? Thoughts on snail chemicals?
> >>
> >> --
> >> http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet
> >
> > Clown loaches are No1 when it comes to get rid of snails.
> > You need to keep them in a number or 5 - 6 fish to make them
> > comfortable. The biggest problem I had, was after two weeks there
> > was no more snails, means no more food for the fish. Well they eat
> > the most food like cats food (dry pellets), bloodworms and scrimps.
> > But also dry flakes are OK when they are hungry.
> > I like hungry fish, they keep the tank clean! I have never used any
> > kind of chemicals in my tank.
> > Here are some pictures of the tank, before the Clowns arrived.
> > <http://www.algonet.se/~maxxl/akvarium/akvarium.htm>
>
> That page gives me errors and no images :(
> guess i'll hafta ask santa for some clown loaches then.
>
> Do they need to be trained to eat snails, or will they just recognize them
> as tasty?

Anything that is slow moving or is dead is fair game to a clown, with mine
sometimes it takes me a little while to notice I've lost a small fish as the
clown's will hoover it up.

A

[Tom]

"Jon Pike" > wrote in message
. 159...
> That page gives me errors and no images :(
> guess i'll hafta ask santa for some clown loaches then.
>
> Do they need to be trained to eat snails, or will they just recognize them
> as tasty?



Before you do, be sure and get Santa to tell you how large a clown loach
will get... most people are unaware that they get big... fast.

If you are looking for a more reasonably sized snail eater, get a trio of
Yo-Yo loaches. They stay small and are great snail eaters.

Tom

[Gordon James]

I love snails in my tanks . . .


that said, here are my thoughts


Wallmart sells golden dojo loaches (weather loach?) for $1
they are great bottom feeders that are friendly to most other types of fish
they eat snails well, and will probably give you a good balance (a few
snails and a few new fish)

they will go at the job more quickly if you do not overfeed.

most snail killing chemicals include copper sulphate.
It is hard on your fish and your plants.

it is particularly hard on fish with smooth skin (like moromids)

My favourite snail is the Malaysian Trumpet Snail.
They clean the glass and the bottom of the tank.
They are not hard on plants
They mostly live in the gravel until they are large enough to survive my
loaches.

They seem to give the best of both worlds.

They are also good at cleaning up any dead fish.






"Jon Pike" > wrote in message
. 159...
> Okie doke. So my tanks are completely infested with snails.
> I've heard some people say "get loaches" but the kuhli's I got aren't
doing
> much at all.
> I've also heard people say "never use those snail killing chemicals" but
> I've never really heard why.
>
> Any other ways of getting rid of -all- the snails (without restarting the
> entire tank)? Thoughts on snail chemicals?
>
> --
> http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

[www.Fish-ForumS.com]

Cloawn loaches are the type most commonly used to get rid of snails.

Your little guys ant eat snails :)


Marc (free webspace for active members)
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _______
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forum for our newest contest coming up

http://www.fish-forums.com

Http://www.aquatic-store.com

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 11:18:41 GMT, Jon Pike
> wrote:

>Okie doke. So my tanks are completely infested with snails.
>I've heard some people say "get loaches" but the kuhli's I got aren't doing
>much at all.
>I've also heard people say "never use those snail killing chemicals" but
>I've never really heard why.
>
>Any other ways of getting rid of -all- the snails (without restarting the
>entire tank)? Thoughts on snail chemicals?

[Kay]

T

My Yo Yos did a better job with the snails than my clown loaches.

Kay



> "Jon Pike" > wrote in message
> . 159...
>
>>That page gives me errors and no images :(
>>guess i'll hafta ask santa for some clown loaches then.
>>
>>Do they need to be trained to eat snails, or will they just recognize them
>>as tasty?
>
>
>
>
> Before you do, be sure and get Santa to tell you how large a clown loach
> will get... most people are unaware that they get big... fast.
>
> If you are looking for a more reasonably sized snail eater, get a trio of
> Yo-Yo loaches. They stay small and are great snail eaters.
>
> Tom
>
>

[Denise]

I have 2 tanks with yo-yos in one and zebra loaches in the other. Both do a
good job of keeping the snails from taking over but I've noticed the zebra
loaches are better at it than the yo-yos. Both species stay small and yo-yos
seem easier to find - in my area at least. Either way, you'll see an
improvement.
Denise
"Kay" > wrote in message
m...
> T
>
> My Yo Yos did a better job with the snails than my clown loaches.
>
> Kay
>
>
>
> > "Jon Pike" > wrote in message
> > . 159...
> >
> >>That page gives me errors and no images :(
> >>guess i'll hafta ask santa for some clown loaches then.
> >>
> >>Do they need to be trained to eat snails, or will they just recognize
them
> >>as tasty?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Before you do, be sure and get Santa to tell you how large a clown loach
> > will get... most people are unaware that they get big... fast.
> >
> > If you are looking for a more reasonably sized snail eater, get a trio
of
> > Yo-Yo loaches. They stay small and are great snail eaters.
> >
> > Tom
> >
> >

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: Re: snails...
>From: "Tom"
>Date: 12/7/2004 9:30 AM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: <30ktd.151421$V41.1184@attbi_s52>
>
>
>"Jon Pike" > wrote in message
. 159...
>> That page gives me errors and no images :(
>> guess i'll hafta ask santa for some clown loaches then.
>>
>> Do they need to be trained to eat snails, or will they just recognize them
>> as tasty?
>
>
>
>Before you do, be sure and get Santa to tell you how large a clown loach
>will get... most people are unaware that they get big... fast.
>
>If you are looking for a more reasonably sized snail eater, get a trio of
>Yo-Yo loaches. They stay small and are great snail eaters.
>
>Tom

From my experience and from all that I have ever heard, they are slow growers.
Also, I have a DoJo, aka Yo Yo, aka Weather Loach in the tank as well. Doesn't
eat a single snail..ever.

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: Re: snails...
>From: Kay
>Date: 12/7/2004 1:15 PM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>T
>
>My Yo Yos did a better job with the snails than my clown loaches.
>
>Kay
>

I wonder if it's possible that the type of snail matters.
Maybe Weather loches and Clown like different types.
I have MTsnails in my tank. I first purchased a Weather Loach (aka DoJo, aka
YoYo) and it never a one.
I purposely bought it to eat the snails.
After I purchased the Clowns....the snails are dropping numbers very fast.
They munch on them throughout the day...sucking escargo. = )~

[Gail Futoran]

"Jon Pike" > wrote
[snip]
> That page gives me errors and no images :(
> guess i'll hafta ask santa for some clown loaches then.
>
> Do they need to be trained to eat snails, or will they just recognize them
> as tasty?
>
>
> --
> http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

Skunk botia are another possibility. They stay relatively
small so your tank isn't overwhelmed, and there are
always a few snails left so you're not scrambling to find
snails for the fish to eat. They also get along well with
other small fish in a community tank. I have them with
cory cats, various small tetras, and otos. They can be
quite shy and hide a lot but I find it entertaining the
few times I do spot them.

The only tank I have that is overrun with snails is the
one with kuhli loaches in it. :)

As others have mentioned, Yo-Yo loaches are another
good possibility. Mine Yo-Yos get a little bigger than
my skunk botia, but we're talking in the 2 - 3" range.

Gail

[Jon Pike]

"Tom" > wrote in
news:30ktd.151421$V41.1184@attbi_s52:

>
> "Jon Pike" > wrote in message
> . 159...
>> That page gives me errors and no images :(
>> guess i'll hafta ask santa for some clown loaches then.
>>
>> Do they need to be trained to eat snails, or will they just recognize
>> them as tasty?
>
>
>
> Before you do, be sure and get Santa to tell you how large a clown
> loach will get... most people are unaware that they get big... fast.
>
> If you are looking for a more reasonably sized snail eater, get a trio
> of Yo-Yo loaches. They stay small and are great snail eaters.

yoyo's didn't work for me in the past. and yes, I know how big clowns can
get.


--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

[Jon Pike]

"Gordon James" > wrote in news:1MOdnQVdE6pQfyjcRVn-
:

> most snail killing chemicals include copper sulphate.
> It is hard on your fish and your plants.

That's -really- good to know. That tank is packed with plants.
thanks

--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

[Jon Pike]

(TYNK 7) wrote in
:

> I have MTsnails in my tank. I first purchased a Weather Loach (aka
> DoJo, aka YoYo)

I don't know 'bout dojo's, but yoyo's are very different from weather
loaches.

--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

[Jon Pike]

(TYNK 7) wrote in
:

> Ok Ok Ok..
> I'm a complete idiot today!
> Must have had a brainfart.
> I know..YoYo's are not Weather Loaches.
>::smacks forehead::

Hehe. sorry, already replied to the original ;)

--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: Re: snails...
>From: Jon Pike
>Date: 12/7/2004 5:36 PM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
(TYNK 7) wrote in
:
>
>> I have MTsnails in my tank. I first purchased a Weather Loach (aka
>> DoJo, aka YoYo)
>
>I don't know 'bout dojo's, but yoyo's are very different from weather
>loaches.
>

I know...I figured out I had a brainfart and apologized. = /

[NetMax]

"Jon Pike" > wrote in message
. 159...
> Okie doke. So my tanks are completely infested with snails.
> I've heard some people say "get loaches" but the kuhli's I got aren't
> doing
> much at all.
> I've also heard people say "never use those snail killing chemicals"
> but
> I've never really heard why.
>
> Any other ways of getting rid of -all- the snails (without restarting
> the
> entire tank)? Thoughts on snail chemicals?
>
> --
> http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

Botia loaches eat snails. Dojos and Kuhliis are not Botia. The most
readily available Botia are the Zebra, Yoyo and Clown. Sometimes they
need to be taught that there is good eating inside those snail shells.
Note that all loaches (including Botia) should be kept in groups, so your
tank has to accommodate their eventual size and qty. Clowns are the
largest, though usually slow growing (but not always), they get to about
6" typically (larger is possible). Yoyos get to about 4" and Zebras
usually slightly smaller. There are other fish in the loach family who
will also be effective on snail control by consuming the eggs. Check out
loach.com for more detailed info.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Ali Day]

> I had such a HUGE problem with Maylasian Trumpet snails.
> My Clown Loaches snack on them all day long.
> Nothing I have tried has worked as well as they have.
> They're actually neat to watch to. I wondered how they ate them. If they
> swallowed them whole, or crushed their shells, etc.
> It looks like they're sucking out the snail and eatin eat because my
gravel is
> littered with empty shells that I have to pick out.


I'm not sure how they do it, but I doubt they crush the shell, as you say
mine suck them out, and I would imagine they start sucking and knock it
loose with the sonic click they use to dislodge and break up food.

cheers

A

[Ali Day]

> >Before you do, be sure and get Santa to tell you how large a clown loach
> >will get... most people are unaware that they get big... fast.
> >
> >If you are looking for a more reasonably sized snail eater, get a trio of
> >Yo-Yo loaches. They stay small and are great snail eaters.

I've had my eight clowns for knocking on 4 years and they still haven't got
past 3 inches, but they do have I believe a life span of 15 years +

[Tom]

"Jon Pike" > wrote in message
. 159...
> "Tom" > wrote in
> news:30ktd.151421$V41.1184@attbi_s52:
>
>>
>> "Jon Pike" > wrote in message
>> . 159...
>>> That page gives me errors and no images :(
>>> guess i'll hafta ask santa for some clown loaches then.
>>>
>>> Do they need to be trained to eat snails, or will they just recognize
>>> them as tasty?
>>
>>
>>
>> Before you do, be sure and get Santa to tell you how large a clown
>> loach will get... most people are unaware that they get big... fast.
>>
>> If you are looking for a more reasonably sized snail eater, get a trio
>> of Yo-Yo loaches. They stay small and are great snail eaters.
>
> yoyo's didn't work for me in the past. and yes, I know how big clowns can
> get.


Too bad. My Yo-Yo's eat snails like they were candy.

Tom

[Jon Pike]

"Tom" > wrote in
news:sNOtd.465819$wV.280369@attbi_s54:

>
> "Jon Pike" > wrote in message
> . 159...
>> "Tom" > wrote in
>> news:30ktd.151421$V41.1184@attbi_s52:
>>
>>>
>>> "Jon Pike" > wrote in message
>>> . 159...
>>>> That page gives me errors and no images :(
>>>> guess i'll hafta ask santa for some clown loaches then.
>>>>
>>>> Do they need to be trained to eat snails, or will they just
>>>> recognize them as tasty?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Before you do, be sure and get Santa to tell you how large a clown
>>> loach will get... most people are unaware that they get big... fast.
>>>
>>> If you are looking for a more reasonably sized snail eater, get a
>>> trio of Yo-Yo loaches. They stay small and are great snail eaters.
>>
>> yoyo's didn't work for me in the past. and yes, I know how big clowns
>> can get.
>
>
> Too bad. My Yo-Yo's eat snails like they were candy.
>
> Tom
>
>
>

Problem for me with yo-yo's is they "get away" into a part of the tank
where snails generally aren't, and then hide there until they die.
At the end of my tank, there are three sections that have been
partitioned off. There are about 1/4" slits connecting two of the
sections to the tank. The yoyos i've seen are all small enough to get
through them. :/

--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet