xdoomsongx

I am looking at keeping snails with the new planted setups that I am working on. I was just wondering what kinds of snails are best for planted tanks? I am setting up two 30's, two 5's and a 6. Going to be stocking the 30's with dwarf cichlids, so no shrimp, but I think snails would be fine. Any input on what kinds of snails are best would be greatly appreciated. Not sure what to take in to account when getting them, so thought I would ask about it. Thanks in advance for your input.

wrkucera

I have a healty population of malaysian trumpet snails in my 55 gallon. I didn't ask for them, they hitched a ride into my tank from the plants. I haven't seen any of my ramshorn snails, for which I had around for quite some time. My yo-yo loach seems to keep the population in check. He's a fat loach and I've never seen him feed on the food I use, I wonder if he selectively destroyed my ramshorns? I think snails are good in the whole scheme of a planted tank.

xdoomsongx

Thanks for the info. I was thinking about keeping some yo-yos myself, it would be cool to see them eating snails! I had read some about the Malaysian Trumpet snails being rather popular in a planted tank, but had also read that they should be avoided. (The majority of things saying that they are beneficial though.) Anyone else keeping other species that are hardy enough to with stand the onslaught of a loach? Thanks again.

Tex Gal

If you are going to have yoyos you can forget about snails! I had 1 yoyo, 1 botia, & 2 clown loaches in my 125g. They ate EVERY snail in the tank. BTW the clowns were 2" so not large. I had MTS snails in there, thought they would hide in substrate - NOPE. I also had nerites believing that they would be too big for them - NOPE. Put 2 briggs snails thinking they would never be able to get them. Then saw a posting about what they had done to someone else's briggs - slowly drilling a hole in his foot. That was enough for me. I removed the briggs. Eventually they will hunt down and eat every snail in your tank.

xdoomsongx

Well, maybe I will avoid loaches, or maybe I just won't pay for any snails, and look for them to hitch a ride in as they can do sometimes. Thanks for the input. Would hate to have shelled out some $$$ for some crazy looking snail only to lead it to the slaughter. I knew clown loaches ate snails like crazy, but didn't realize that other loaches did as well. Loaches snails in one of those, "I want to eat your soul." kind of things.

Tex Gal

Good choice!

milalic

Depending on the dwarf cichlids you can have amano shrimp with them. I have keep Bolivian Rams, Blue and Gold Rams and Borellis with amanos and they were all happy together.

As far as snails, you can have some ramshorns and some nerites if you can get your hands on some of them. The nerites seem to be good algae eaters.

I am not sure what your substrate is, but some MTS might be good to aerate it.

regards,

xdoomsongx

I am using SMS for a substrate, it is really light. I couldn't put anything else over it, because everything just falls under it, so the MTS might just stir it well.

Sweet, it will be strange keeping shrimp in a tank without them being slaughtered in the first five minutes. My green terrors loves shrimp.

MedRed

I had a population explosion of MTS... they were fine until they munched holes into the submersed leaves of a new sword. IMO MTS are pests.

I like nerites... They eat all of the worst algae BBA, BGA, and GSA... and they don't breed in fresh water. I'm sold on them after a month of ownership. They've eaten all of the BBA and GSA in one of my tanks... i can't vouch for BGA though.

Tinuviel82

i like nerites. i have olives. they keep my glass really really clean