[underdog5004]

I recently introduced some snails (mystery, I think) into my FW 10G tank. There are about 10 snails, but I know they'll be reproducing in no time. My question is, at what point should I get a clown loach to help control the snails?

 

[jabbott]

I wouldn't put a clown loach in a 10 gallon - they will soon get to 4 or 5 inches long and eventually to 12 inches or more. I also wouldn't put just one clown in a tank. They're social fish that won't be happy with less than 3 in a group.

Mystery snails grow fairly large (for snails), so you may be able to remove and rehome the adults as they multipy.

By the way, I have clown and yoyo loaches in my planted 75 and they got my snail population under control. At one point I had too many pond, ram's horn, and Malaysian trumpet snails.

 

[Stellaluna]

10 mystery snails in a 10 gallon, all at once, and you are very likely, nay, definitely, going to cause a mini cycle. They are huge waste producers.

I agree - a clown loach is not appropriate for a 10g. I would not even think about getting any loaches unless and until you actually had a problem with your snail population. Don't overfeed and you won't have an overpopulation in the first place, unless your goal is to breed snails. What other residents are there in the tank?

 

[djrichie]

A chain loach is perfect for a 10 gal. tank. They stay small and eat snails.,

 

[jabbott]

Nice idea on the dwarf chain loaches. Have you kept them?

 

[underdog5004]

Hey guys, maybe they aren't mystery snails. They showed up in a plant shipment at work (LPS), and have since multiplied like crazy. They only seem to get around an inch tall, and maybe a quarter inch thick. They're not spherical, more up and down, if that makes any sense. Also, I will be looking into chain loaches, do they dig up plants?

Thanks to all who responded, good to see so much activity on a forum


EDIT: I've got around 15 guppies and a 4" gold gourami, which were in the tank when it was given to me. I'm going to weed out the uglier guppies, and see if I can't get a nice little community tank going. Of course, I already want to upgrade to a 20G tank

 

[jabbott]

Sounds more like a ram's horn. My clown and yoyo loaches are fine with the plants as long as their rooted.

Sounds like you have plenty of fish in there already - I'd want to turn in the gourami (the LFS should take him), get down to 5 male guppies (males so they don't multiply), and add 3 chain loaches. Then start saving your pennies for that 20!

 

[djrichie]

No the are just common plant snails.... cut back on the feeding you most likely over feeding and the more food snails have the faster they reproduce. You can use copper to fet rid of them, but use cation some fish don't like it and it will harm them as will. mainly scaleless fish like loachs....

 

[underdog5004]

Sounds more like a ram's horn. My clown and yoyo loaches are fine with the plants as long as their rooted.

Sounds like you have plenty of fish in there already - I'd want to turn in the gourami (the LFS should take him), get down to 5 male guppies (males so they don't multiply), and add 3 chain loaches. Then start saving your pennies for that 20!

Excellent, my snails are indeed Ramshorns, or something close to that. Is there anything wrong with letting my guppies breed freely, even if they just eat the babies? My tank is pretty full, but if any babies survive, I'll just sell/give/trade them to the LFS and get more plants...sound like a plan?