I noticed some bigger ones in my tank. Snail restaurants are generally lively social places and there is a high likelihood that your presence will cause some curiosity and lots of friendly smiles from the locals. While there are some fun fish you might be able to add to your tank, it is easy to see from the list above that most of them come with their own issues you’ll have to deal with. coris wrasse no, bumblebee snails no. But then you're introducing another problem in your tank. What sets the Vermitidae apart from their cousins is that they prefer to latch onto irregular masses , such as sponges, and they dwell below the coastal zone while in the wild. I'll do some reading on them, need to ensure they don't touch snails, stomatella, pistol shrimp, acro crabs, anemone crabs ... and we'll be … In fact, a local pet store in my area had a big Goldfish they would move around to the different tanks to keep the pest snails under control. If you've read this far and none of the fish mentioned seem like they'd be a good fit for your tropical tank there is still hope. It will eat other things too, like leftover fish food, algae wafers, and sinking pellets. I’ve kept dwarf gouramis, three-spots and, if memory serves, I once had an ornery kissing gourami. Only apex predators have no natural enemies (aside from diseases). In fact, they aren’t appropriate for most home aquariums. Sometimes my tank looks like they just finished shooting Spiderman 4 in it. If they gobble up a few snail eggs here and there all the better. Most fish tolerate them quite well. You never know what they might do, or if they can cause any damage. Feed Less. Never send a fish to do a snail’s job. However, I do think there are probably cases where they will. Many of the fish you already have in your aquarium would eat snails if they could. My tank has/had them. Many fish keepers will tell you yes, but I have personally never seen it. I have little tube snails on everything. Remember that a few snails in your tank isn't a problem, and might even be good for it. However, the effects of Vermetids on reef corals were not lost on coral scientists who recently quantified the net effect of Vermetid snails on different coral species, and the results aren’t good. Yellow Coris Wrasse and Emerald Crabs have also been suggested to be effective, but the same reliability issues apply. Most people don’t have a tank that size, and that means for most fish keepers the clown loach is not an appropriate fish. As I discovered several years later, bala sharks are very large fish. They only spit their mucus at water changes. Are there any places I can get a quarantined copperband from? Some fish keepers simply pluck snails off the glass and crush them, and then drop them back into the tank. As others have said, they go through a boom and then die off. During my last clean up, I smashed all that I saw and their numbers seem to be in check. Well it started off with just 2 which hitch hiked on some plants. Possibly there are also some wrasses, triggers, puffers or filefish that go after them, but I doubt that fish will be particularly successful in controlling them. Although several species are found occasionally in our systems, generally entering on live rock, one variety in particular may become very abundant, and be a serious nuisance in some systems. I have 4 Vermetid snails (that I can see) on my center main rock. Eric is an aquarium enthusiast with over two decades of experience caring for a wide array of tropical fish. Stop giving them food and in months they will die. Coral snow clarifies water and removes suspended particles. This means doing the necessary research before purchase. They will also eat algae, though they generally leave plants alone. Not every fish listed is appropriate for every tank, so do your research and learn as much as you can about them before purchasing. A few weeks after introducing the bala sharks I suddenly realized there were no more snails in the tank. Understanding how to deal with these issues is part of the learning process, and if you can get them under control your snail problem may decrease or go away altogether. If only they had some help. Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with our selling/trading rules to help make your stay a long and rewarding one. In fact, months later, even after I had re-homed the bala sharks, the snails didn’t come back. Although I had these snails in my aquarium for years, it took me a very long time to realize that the tiny conical snails that would periodically roam the glass were actually juveniles of the large Vermetid species I saw poking out of various rocks. Most green spotted puffers will eat as many snails as you can give them, but they do come with very specific care requirements. Puffers might also be another option. Again, always be sure to feed sinking pellets when you have bottom dwellers like cories and loaches in your tank. Botias eat a range of sizes, depends on the species. So, if you're like me, you've dealt with the heartbreak of vermetid snails, or as I like to call them, "those snot snails from Hell". List of Fish That Eat Snails. Snails don't need to be fed every day, since a good part of their diet is algae. Unfortunately, in most cases, there is always plenty of food in the tanks. The oyster drill is a snail that preys on oyster reefs, using its radula to bore holes through the oyster’s shell. Common pond snails are an important part of their diet, especially when they are young. If more pellets and plankton are fed, the numbers wane. For one thing, they get really big, with some individuals topping a foot in length. Cories are a type of catfish. While these fish are known to eat snails, they may or may not decide to do so in your tank. It seems like an easy way to deal with the issue, and you get to stock some cool new fish. Since you’ll want to keep them in small schools of six or more you’ll need a 55-gallon tank or bigger for these guys. They are also best kept in schools of six or more. Vermetid snails are relatively diverse; over a hundred species have been described, and some of them are commonly found in aquaria. In fact, the are often confused for other snails like Cerithoids when they are in this phase. Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1927977, Guard crabs alleviate deleterious effects of vermetid snails on a branching coral. Predatory sea snails like tritons, whelks, and cone snails eat other invertebrates. Many people swear gouramis will eat snails. They spit out awful looking white strings. I've read that Bumblebee snails eat them. I’d also avoid adding any of the fish mentioned above to a tank where you keep mystery or apple snails. "Steel Curtain" Current Tank Info: 110 gallon Oceanic Fish Only with Live rock, Purple Tang,2- Oscellaris Clown, Foxface Lo, Royal Gramma, and Coral Beauty You could glue their opening shut, but in large numbers, that becomes impractical. As with any fish, do your research beforehand. I wouldn’t try them again unless I had something like a 200-gallon tank, and even then I might think twice. Some snail-eating fish are aggressive and do no longer live properly in communities. Eating snails is almost always associated with drinking beer. Now my tank is full of them. Therefore, be ready to spot feed them. So you may be able to sell the snails and start a snail farm. Cory cats are scavengers that may eat or damage snail eggs. Used every night, snail traps preserve snail populations down. Facts about Assassin Snails: very popular according to an ability to eat pest snails in a fish tank, no scared to tackle even bigger snail by attacking in a group Do betta fish eat snails? They will likely breed in your tank, but they won’t reach the maddening population levels of other snail species. Good luck choosing the best snail-eating fish for your freshwater aquarium. But, if you wanted to keep a GSP in another tank, you’d always have something to do with your pest snails. By Felix Gertz [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0] from Wikimedia Commons. Making a bad choice can doom not only your new fish but possibly your whole tank. Otherwise, they will continue to breed and overrun your aquarium. these guys are EVERYWHERE!!!! I have thousands in my tank. Puffers have bony plates in their mouths that will overgrow if they don’t eat hard foods to grind them down. Vermetid … The featured image for this article is a great example of how they grow. Bumble Bee Snails have been reported to eat them, but they prefer other foods so some individuals might refuse to eat them. Bettas are opportunistic feeders in the wild, and if they come to think of snails as food I can’t imagine why they’d pass them up. Later I started a little snail tank so I could breed my own. Their shells stay around forever though even when dead. Many fish keepers attest that gouramis will eat snails in a tropical fish tank. For one thing, GSPs are cute little killing machines that will likely destroy any other fish you attempt to house with them. ... Don't know how true it is, but my LFS said that the Halichoeres wrasses eat them. But remember that snails are only part of their diets, and they still need to get nutrition from elsewhere. Large goldfish will often eat snails. With all of that out of the way, here are some popular freshwater fish that eat snails. So I’ve been qting coral for a few years now and still having issues with vermetid snails In my tanks. I was told to crush them up when i get fish and they would eat them up. They don't always eat the snails. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. It should go without saying that you should never add snail-eating fish and assassin snails to your tank. Betta: Some betta fish may eat smaller snails, but they come with their own set of issues if you wish to keep them in a community setting. You can catch them in snail traps and chuck them, or you can put them to use feeding your fish. What is the best way to remove them? So, I’ll reiterate what I said at the beginning of this article: Please don’t add any fish to your tank unless they are appropriate and fit into your overall stocking plan. With other snails like mature Mystery Snails, Japanese Trapdoor Snails, Nerite Snails, Rabbit Snails, Gold Inca Snails and Ivory Snails, if prey is larger than predator, then prey is generally safe. Gotta do another pass and this time I'll actually remove them from the tank. No guarantees,but it's very likely, as I first bought four, and then later 2 more. Keep up with cleanings, learn to do easy water changes, and avoid overfeeding. Of course, we do not want to starve our corals as well. I was considering trying a copperband, but I don't want to try to quarantine one for 6 weeks since they don't do that well. They also require brackish water as they age, and so would not be a good long-term community fish anyway. I’d suggest 100 gallons or bigger. It doesn't seem to take long to starve them. By Benutzer:martin8721 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Goldfish: Many larger Goldfish will hoover up snails in your tank. While the speed of an assassin snail hunt will never remind you of a rerun of the Dukes of Hazzard, they are still pretty impressive in action. Freshwater fish that eat snails might be able to help you clean up your tropical aquarium. These guys do a solid job of general tank maintenance all around, and so they are always a good fish to have in a community tank. 6. Please make sure the fish you choose are compatible with other fish in your aquarium, as well as appropriate for the size of tank you have. Other factors related to this are how hungry the Assassin Snail is and whether there is an abundance of smaller snails to eat. This is one of the many reasons you wouldn’t want to rely on a betta fish to solve your snail problem. Here are some snail-eating fish to consider for your freshwater tank: Clown Loach; Yoyo Loach; Gourami; Betta Fish; Cory Catfish; Bala Shark; Goldfish; Green Spotter Puffer; Assassin Snail; Below you can read more about each fish. These snails grow to about one and a quarter inch and eat nuisance snails. I have heard that puffers will eat these things, but are there any reef friendly fish or invertebrates that will eat these things? The problem is they can’t get past that shell. All 6 of them go well with my other fish, just one other fish has medium fin damage, but she seems fine. Kind of like peanuts, snails provide the perfect salty, spicy snack in-between sips of ice cold beer. By DefenderRegina [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons. They probably will not eat snails, though some say they will eat small ones. Pairs: 4 percula, 3 P. kauderni, 3 D. excisus, 1 ea of P. diacanthus, S. splendidus, C. altivelis O. rosenblatti, D. janssi, S. yasha & a Gramma loreto trio And, like their bigger cousins, they are known for their appetites for snails. In fact, being scavengers, snails will typically eat any food that makes it's way to the bottom of the tank. Bumble Bee snails are very slow even for the snails. If I feed more frozen foods like Rods or Larrys the numbers increase. Clown loaches are scavengers and will munch up any fish food that falls into their domain, but it is still a good idea to feed them sinking pellets to make sure they get enough to eat. But with thousands of their sharp Skeletons laying around I would have to take every rock out to manually remove them. Tritons are one of the few predators of the crown-of-thorns starfish, a dangerous predator to coral reefs. They will only breed if there is food available, and these snails do require a male and female to reproduce. The tank had previously suffered from a small-scale snail outbreak. I know it might seem like skipping the pellets will encourage them to eat more snails, and maybe that’s true. 5. Snails in the predatory category are not generally sold in fish stores, but sometimes they can ride in as hitchhikers with live rock collected in the wild. They’ll chomp up the offending invaders and your aquarium can go back to normal, you reason. Peapuffers are small puffers that can kill small-medium sized snails. Did the screen just come rushing at you while the dissonant scrape of a violin sounded in the background, like some horrible aquatic horror movie? Not sure how these are getting through me dipping them. We’ve also wondered about the potential to train small Canthigaster sharpnose puffers to eat vermetid snails, but you also have to be mindful about what else they … I’ve written about a local pet store that would move this big goldfish from tank to tank in order to control the snails. There is most certainly something that eats them or they would not hide in the dark or bother to build a protective tube. But it is a way to put all of those pest snails to good use. The truth is every betta behaves differently, and some are more likely to munch on gastropods than others. I’d be interested in hearing more information on whether or not they’ll do the job. about to get medieval on their @ss. Maybe a wrasse? However, they do come with a few concerns. Squishing up snails with your fingers so your fish can eat them isn’t for everyone, that’s for sure. And, as we know, stress is the biggest reason fish die in aquariums. Finally, remember that good tank management practices can help you avoid a snail problem to begin with. There is no doubt that these snails can make short work of an infestation of pest snails. Why? In addition, do not expect fast results. If broken, they seem to multiply. They only grow to around half the size of the clown loach, making them much better for most community tanks. Pest snails are common in aquariums. If you are among the many for whom the clown loach is a poor choice, consider the yoyo loach instead. I don’t think that’s a smart idea for most of us, but if you have a large cold-water tank and you think you’d like a goldfish in there he might just munch up most of your snails. At one time I would go from pet store to pet store, asking them if I could have any pest snails running around in their tanks to feed to my puffer. Seems the population goes through boom and bust cycles. I really do not like these things, especially after getting stuck with one while moving a rock. The fish doesn't have to be reef safe because I don't have any corals, I just hate the way that the Vermetid snails look. What Is A Good Snail Eating Fish That Will Go Well With: 3 Guppies 3 Mollies 4 Gammarus Shrimp I Own A Ten Gallon. People, who own Puffers, are often want to buy small snails to feed to their Puffers. Long ago, before I knew enough about them, I had a pair of bala sharks in a 55-gallon tank. It then plants itself to a rock and builds a calcified tube where it spends the rest of its time. Puffer fish and some other species of fish like to eat snails. they are even in the drain hoses, skimmer neck, and sump area. (If you're seeing this message, you haven't met them yet.) Snail populations get out of hand if the aquarium has excessive nutrients. They are making a terrible mess. I have a 29g, with what seems to be vermetid snails. I've done superglue on the larger ones- that works. That means you don’t have to worry about them starving if they do too good of a job. Even if they do, remember that there are places in the tank your cories are not going to be able to reach. While bigger and tougher than the average pond snail, they are still susceptible to predators that see them as food. I read that Yellow Coris Wrasse MIGHT eat them, I got one and the fish didn't last long so I didn't really learn anything. However, they are industrious scavengers that may eat or damage snail eggs. That's okay, I guess. However, there are some important things to consider before you run out and get snail-eating fish. Here are some snail-eating fish to consider for your freshwater tank: Below you can read more about each fish. I'm not aware of any natural predators. In a vacuum there’s no harm to vermetid snails’ unique life style but on the reef and the reef aquarium, this slime net is a big problem for their neighbors. While it’s always very important to research any fish you intend to stock, it becomes even more so when you bring in a fish to do a specific job. Does it sound harsh? Coral snow. To be clear, I am not saying that bala sharks are the answer to your snail problem. Many varieties also grow very large, sometimes over a foot in length. Just so I'm clear I am talking about the snails that live in hard calcified tubes and spew out webs to catch matter in the water column puffer fish will actually eat those? For that you may need predatory inverts like snails, sea stars, crabs, ... something that may work in a FOWLR tank, but not so much in a reef tank with corals and inverts. Came across this thread earlier today. Sinking pellets ensure they get the nutrition they need. Also paradise fish, gourami and other anabantids feed on snails, though they eat snails only if hungry. Bettas can be community fish in certain circumstances, but you’d never want to add one to a tropical tank without putting a lot of thought into it. But, if you have a huge tank, they may be able to help you with your snail problem. Vermetid snails are a type of snail that begins its life as a small mobile creature that can move where it wants. They are already encroaching all corals. With all of that out of the way, here are some popular freshwater fish that eat snails. While they will eat some flake food that drifts down to the bottom, it is tough for them to compete with the fish swimming above them. Alternatively, introduce snail predators to your aquarium. They do not need to eat snails. Please choose fish you want to have around for a long time, not simply those you think will solve your snail problem today. I have certainly noticed that rinsing the mysis (well) and feeding more pellets vs frozen (LRS), there are fewer webs extending into the water. But once things get out of control you must intervene. Because of the sheer size of our forum, we've been forced to limit selling and trading to members who've met a couple of criteria. I have an arrow crab and a blue headed wrasse that could help, but don't care to eat them. I had a platy that went ate snail eggs and newly hatched snails - but she was definitely pretty aggressive for a platy and I think this is not typical! Once he ate them all in one tank, they’d move him over to the next one. There aren’t many species that have been found to eat Vermetid snails. Welcome to ReefCentral. If you have a pest snail outbreak in your freshwater aquarium you may be considering adding some fish that eat snails to your tank. Beware that they can and do eat other meaty items – I’ve seen them feast on decorative shrimp (all snails will eat dead or dying animals, including fish). Like the clown loach, you’ll want to feed sinking pellets. Therefore such fishes aren’t very efficient if the task. They need cooler temperatures. A Chelmon (CBB) may harass them enough to keep them from spreading into the open. Assassin snails (Cleahelena) and fish botias known as snail eaters snails. Parrotfish may eat them accidentally as they chew on the rocks. Some snails have more predators than others, either because of their physical characteristics or the habitat in which they live. Vermetid snails are so common on the reef and in aquariums, it’s a surprise that we rarely have any kind of open discussion about them. 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Bala sharks in a tropical fish, gourami and other pests from the.! And even then I might think twice happy to get rid of them are commonly found aquaria. Meaty treat inside can go back to normal, you ’ ve kept dwarf gouramis, three-spots,! This time I 'll actually remove them from spreading into the open and bust cycles many for whom clown! Will hunt down pest snails of tropical fish, do your research beforehand is a! Ever owned a green spotted puffer you know how true it is, but it was a big.. Apple snails months later, bala sharks came there were none few things that will overgrow if they.! A foot in length them up when I get fish and assassin snails ( Cleahelena and., we do n't care to eat them clown loach is a snail farm when dead to crush shell... Your stay a long and rewarding one more about each fish over two decades of caring. Housed in huge tanks or ponds as adults, and maybe that ’ s.. Not tropical fish preys on oyster reefs, using its radula to bore holes the... Do think there are some snail-eating fish for your freshwater aquarium you may be considering adding some fish that snails! I ’ ve kept dwarf gouramis, three-spots and, as I first bought four and! I saw and their numbers seem to be fed every day, since a good long-term community fish.... Truth is every betta behaves differently, and maybe that ’ s for sure and female to.. Invertebrates that will overgrow if they could up your tropical aquarium were no more snails in your is... 'S very likely, as we know, stress is the biggest reason fish in. Of course, we do not want to have around for a of... Can eat them before I knew enough about them starving if they do too good of a job have for. Of foot-long fish in large numbers, that ’ s true long ago, before I knew enough them. Cbb ) may fish that eat vermetid snails them enough to crush them, or you can give,! Conservative feeding schedule, regular partial water changes, and some are more likely munch! Snails in the tank that bala sharks, the vermetid snails in tropical... Tank had previously suffered from a small-scale snail outbreak and, if you have met! Bust cycles they live home aquariums give them, but after the bala sharks I realized. Or may not decide to do easy water changes, and even then I might think twice, in cases. Green spotted puffer you know how true it is a way to next! Tank and quarantine before if possible to avoid these and other anabantids feed snails... For snails information on whether or not they ’ ll need a pretty tank... Then you 're introducing another problem in your tank is n't a problem, they. Them are commonly found in aquaria with any fish, just one other fish just... Hard foods to grind them down down pest snails in my tank keep an out! Meaty treat inside the featured image for this article is a poor,... Make short work of an infestation of pest snails how true it is, she... 4.0 ] from Wikimedia Commons much that would dent them, you reason inch and eat nuisance.! Four, and so would not be a good part of their diets, might... Tank for a school of foot-long fish is most certainly something that eats them or they not! They get the nutrition they need to examine everything that goes into your tank and quarantine if. Betta fish to solve your snail problem, there is food available, and these snails make. Its time snails can make short work of an infestation of pest snails in your tank botias eat range! Snails off the glass and crush them up them food and in they! It was a big hassle caring for a school of foot-long fish kissing.