Clown Loaches vs Trumpet Snails

[Rouseabout]

Hi

Wife hates the trumpet snails in her Juwel 240L.

1. Will clown loaches take care of these snails?

2. Are clown loaches compatible with Discus, Tetras, BNs and Sterbai Corys?

[Godly3vil]

Yes they are and yes they will, but they also grow to a foot long and need to be kept in groups of 6+ like all loaches, so unless your planning on a huge upgrade sometime in the future I don't recommend it.

Most types of loaches will eat snails just as well as clowns so your better off picking one of the other types that are more suited to that size tank long term, I found dwarf chain loaches to be better at snail control especially for trumpets as clowns can have a bit of an issue with the different shell type.

Another great method for snail control is leaving a piece of lettuce in the tank overnight and removing it each day before lights on and it should be covered in them.

[SamH]

Another great method for snail control is leaving a piece of lettuce in the tank overnight and removing it each day before lights on and it should be covered in them.

They're nocturnal, for every one you see during the day there's hundreds more buried in the substrate. I think they're beneficial in a planted aquarium but if you don't like them, use the above method or decrease your carbonate hardness so they have difficulty forming shells. I've found almost none in any tank I use pressurised CO2 on.

[Rouseabout]

Thanks Guys, thats good advice.

Yes I knew about the size the clowns can reach (I've seen a fully grown one) so will suggest the dwarf chains instead.

Also re being nocturnal yes - they (trumpet snails)are in my Malawi tank and there are always heaps of trail markings in the aragonite sand each morning! I like them in the Malawi tank because I figure they burrow in deep and keep the sand from building up crap where it is deeper.

We also thin the snail population by scooping up substrate in a std black net and then working that through the mesh by hand. Can take a few minutes but the result is a lot of snails ready for disposal.

Supplemental question :bggrn:

Given the snails are feeding on fish waste and excess food (no plants in my African Tank) are they likely to have a concentration of nitrates etc in their gut? Wondering if the ecosystem is similar to a coastal one where the shellfish and molluscs are the first to be prohibited to take when there is an algal bloom?

[alexyay]

They're nocturnal, for every one you see during the day there's hundreds more buried in the substrate. I think they're beneficial in a planted aquarium but if you don't like them, use the above method or decrease your carbonate hardness so they have difficulty forming shells. I've found almost none in any tank I use pressurised CO2 on.

Beneficial? They root up all my DHG I stuck some in my puffer tank and he's decided not to eat them so now at night there's so many! Will excel increase my carbonate hardness the same as CO2?