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166 Posts
I have a love-hate relationship with my MTS. I added them into my 20Long tank on purpose for their substrate stirring behavior, but it wasn't long before my tank was overrun by them.
Around the same time, I had done some heavy sterilization of some driftwood and rocks, and I wasn't sure they were safe yet. So I put each in buckets with water and added some MTS to see if they'd survive or die. To my surprise, they not only survived, but multiplied! I wasn't feeding them at all. I figured that the ones with wood were eating that, but I never could figure out how the ones with the rocks were surviving and breeding!
I ended up with far too many in my tank so I got some dwarf chain loaches. They made for a perfect balance. They can suck the snail out of the shell, but they don't go for them so much that they've eradicated the snails. So between the two, I have the snails to keep the substrate stirred with the loaches to keep the snail population in check. Works well for me!
If you need anymore snails, you can get some from Fish Gallery. They gave me the strangest look when I asked for mine, but they were more than happy to hand them over. If you can't find them there, I can give you some of mine.
Around the same time, I had done some heavy sterilization of some driftwood and rocks, and I wasn't sure they were safe yet. So I put each in buckets with water and added some MTS to see if they'd survive or die. To my surprise, they not only survived, but multiplied! I wasn't feeding them at all. I figured that the ones with wood were eating that, but I never could figure out how the ones with the rocks were surviving and breeding!
I ended up with far too many in my tank so I got some dwarf chain loaches. They made for a perfect balance. They can suck the snail out of the shell, but they don't go for them so much that they've eradicated the snails. So between the two, I have the snails to keep the substrate stirred with the loaches to keep the snail population in check. Works well for me!
If you need anymore snails, you can get some from Fish Gallery. They gave me the strangest look when I asked for mine, but they were more than happy to hand them over. If you can't find them there, I can give you some of mine.
