Eric Schreiber wrote:

Quite some time ago (a year or more) I was given a handful of
Malaysian Trumpet snails by a local fish store. I counted perhaps a
hundred. Most went into my heavily planted 20 gallon community tank,
where they've done quite well for themselves.

Quite well, indeed.

I estimate I now have several thousand, still in that same 20 gallon
tank. The tank, fish and plants are all quite healthy, and the MTS
certainly aren't hurting anything that I can see. But their population
is extremely out of control.

I can literally see my substrate (Flourite gravel) moving, almost
constantly. Especially in the hour or so before the lights go off. It
probably isn't an exaggeration to say that 1/5 of the volume of my
substrate is actually MTS.

A bit of web searching turns up clown loaches as the best 'natural'
approach to dealing with these snails. I don't expect that they could
wipe the population out, and for that matter, I don't want to wipe the
MTS out - just reduce their numbers a lot.

According to the sites I've read, clown loaches are apparently ok in a
community tank, and will grow fairly slowly.

Grrr. Spazzed at my keyboard and sent before I was through. Anyway,
continuing...

I have the following fish in this tank:
Peacock Gudgeon (7)
Fundulopanchax scheeli (3)
Siamese Algae Eater (3)
Bristlenose Pleco (1)
Red-Eyed Tetra (1)
Otocinclus Catfish (1)

Do any of these seem likely to not get along with a pair of clown
loaches? I suspect they would make an acceptable mix. Also, I'm
concerned with size - I'd be aiming to get the two smallest clowns I
could find, but how fast could I expect them to outgrow a 20 gallon,
especially one so well stocked with food? The SAEs already would enjoy
more swimming space (it's coming, but perhaps six months away yet). I
hesitate to get the clowns if they're going to feel cramped in this
tank.

Any comments appreciated.

--
Eric Schreiber
www.ericschreiber.com