ok, it seems my Betta tank has been overrun with the lil blighters, and while they are 50/50 good and bad for the tank with eating all the algae they are getting to be an eyesore.

I have tried the following techniques and haven't much success, anyone have any good remedies for this?

1. Simply squashing them on the side whenever I see one. Outcome: Too many to squash :an!gry

2. Lettuce at the bottom overnight. Outcome: some were removed not many, they seem to like algae more than lettuce :facepalm:

3. Considered a Clown loach, however they are too big for my tank and could possibly harm my fighter

So without using chemicals as I believe this to harm other stuff in the tanks, is there any other option available? Or is it a complete water change and gravel hot water bath in order?

Thanks Steve

How bigs the tank?

Oh sorry its 40L

There may be a loach you can keep but i'm not sure. Maybe somebody else will say

You could remove the fish and treat the tank with copper or something to kill the snails clean it all out and then start again? Ideally you would need to find some established filter media to restart your filter though.

You could remove the fish and treat the tank with copper or something to kill the snails clean it all out and then start again? Ideally you would need to find some established filter media to restart your filter though.

or take the filter to the spare tank with the fish while you're treating the existing tank and not have to re-cycle it

try some dwarf chain loaches ( i think they only grow small)

How many fighters in the 40l?

try some dwarf chain loaches ( i think they only grow small)

I have some dwarf chain loaches in my 40l tank, and they do a great job of keeping the snail population under control. Really cute to watch too.

They never bothered my fighter (from memory - fighter has gone now) but they don't touch Malaysian trumpet snails

Lisa

or take the filter to the spare tank with the fish while you're treating the existing tank and not have to re-cycle it

Then you will move all the snails/snail eggs in the filter and have the problem again within a few days..

You could borrow a smaller clown loach for a few days and then return it when it had done its job?

It will be so stressed in a 40L tank it will never eat any thing.

They are not machines that are programmed to work in a fixed way.

Thanks everyone

1. will check into the smaller loach to see if its compatible (wouldn't want to get a smaller clown loach as don't really have a bigger tank for him once it starts growing)

2. I only have x1 Male fighter in the tank, along with x2 guppies, x1 platys.

otherwise a complete change will be in order.

It will be so stressed in a 40L tank it will never eat any thing.

I've seen happy clown loaches in a 40Lish tank at a LPS

You've seen clown loaches in a 40L tank.

They will be far from happy.

Secondly, there is no justification for keeping a CL either singly, or in a 40L tank. It is poor advice, and should not be given to those that are new and learning from this hobby.

You can try justifying it in any way you like, but that's how it is. It's wrong.

Personally, if I had 1 fighter, 2 guppies and 1 platy in a 40 litre tank with snails I would do a total clean out of the tank. Take everything out, chuck the water (just rinse the filter out in it), put bleach in the tank and wash the substrate as well. Throw the plants or rinse with potasium permanganate, refill the tank and replace the fish. Fighters are used to massive water changes and I can't see the guppies or the platy not being able to cope with it. Regular water changes and there will not be a spike.

Cheaper and easier than finding another solution (but thats my opinion for what its worth )

I agree with Adrienne,put the fish in a bucket or plastic container and pp or bleach the tank

Its quite easy to do daily water changes on a 40L tank so if you do that you will not have a problem

Thanks will give it a go.

You've seen clown loaches in a 40L tank.

They will be far from happy.

Secondly, there is no justification for keeping a CL either singly, or in a 40L tank. It is poor advice, and should not be given to those that are new and learning from this hobby.

You can try justifying it in any way you like, but that's how it is. It's wrong.

Its not advice. It was a statement merely saying I have seen them happy in a 40L tank

They were not happy.

They were not happy.

Of course not...

I find that baking the substrate in the oven is a very good snail ridder - doesn't need to be overly hot, 100 degrees for an hour or 2 should penetrate through and a couple of stirrings in between, like a hot mud pie

You still have to clean out the tank glass etc of course but there is already a lot of advice about that.