My planted tank is starting to be overtaken by those really annoying little snails with the circly spiral shell. I do my best to remove as many as I can see when doing w/c's but they are cunning little things that come out to haunt me as soon as my maintenance is over.

I have 2 x Young Dwarf Chain Loaches in the tank, as some literature and the LFS recommended. I dont really like the clown loaches (although everyone else I seem to talk to loves them) and thought the DCL were a small playful option. However I havent noticed them decimating the snail population... can anyone give me some assurance that they are (or at least maybe oneday) helping my cause.

p.s Tried the iceberg lettuce overnight trick and not a single snail took the bait.

Yes according to information on the net they do chomp snails, maybe both your Chains and Snails are both too well fed, hence why neither are taking the bait... loach = snails... and snails=lettuce :lol:

Yes - Unfortunately having them in the tank with growing out Discus (where constant feeding is a priority) the DCL and Snails are probably getting well fed.

they are good snail munchers , what sort of snails are they?

perhaps you are feeding them to well

Not quite sure of what the lil buggers are called but they seem to be quite common, brown, tiny and a circle shell. Not the cone like ones!

Yeah I think both the snails and the loaches are getting it pretty sweet in this tank with all the constant feeding for the growing out discus.

They have made it into the external filter so reproducing up a constant storm!

Send them out to everyone that has loaches My clowns clean up any snails i get off plants, love them so much i'm thinking of having a small low-key snail tank to keep a good supply coming :lol:

Somehow my clown loaches don't know how to eat snails. They have the snail in their mouth but don't seems to know how to suck them out. Maybe they are young and small and don't have much servival skill.

Anyone have this problem?

HI gatito.descarado

Theres a business idea for you, maybe you could rent your clowns out. Charge by the hour!!

HI gatito.descarado

Theres a business idea for you, maybe you could rent your clowns out. Charge by the hour!!

It's a great idea... but i'd miss them too much

One of the 5 is tiny in comparison, poor thing gets pushed around, but he's happy enough. He played dead the other day, and i'm so protective i went nuts before realising he was being silly..... They still get me every time...

Somehow my clown loaches don't know how to eat snails. They have the snail in their mouth but don't seems to know how to suck them out. Maybe they are young and small and don't have much servival skill.

Anyone have this problem?

Lol, i'd love to see mine carrying them around - cute!! But they gobble them too fast. How big are yours slimNZ? Maybe they're just not snail fans...

They love snail alright. When I crush some, they go crazy on them. They just don't know how to do it themself. Having the snail in the mouth and trying hard to get it out and at the end give up and swim away.

Maybe they are too young. They are baby by loaches standard. Have 2 about 4cm (in water) long and another is about 5cm. Hardly see the larger loach as it stay in the cave when the light is on. The 2 smaller loaches is the one we see the most.

all my snails I pull out of my planted tanks go straight into my puffer tank. needless to say they don't last long!

Have 2 about 4cm (in water) long and another is about 5cm

Hmmm, mine aren't that much bigger - the runt is 4cm and the other 4 are between 5 and 6cm. maybe the snails are too big but they're munching the baby ones?

Clean the tank this morning and there lots of small snail in the gravel so from the look of it, they did not eat them. Anyway, saw a cool crown loaches in the LFS that moving pebbles by lifting them with his mouth. Since we have not come across a fish that do this we decided to buy it and he is now in our tank. Will see if he will eat the snails. Oh yes! we call him pebble.