# Snail Eaters?



## dolifisis (Sep 27, 2006)

Is there any fish small enough to put in my 12 gallon to rid it of snails even if it's just a short term loaner fish? These snails are getting out of control and they don't seem to be too keen on cucumber and my PH is too low to use any type of snail rid. I'm also up for any other suggestions!


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

a skunk loach or a betta would be useful but it depends if you have any other fish in there and what kind they are.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

if you dont have any other fish in there a trio of dwarf puffers would work great(if you put lots of plants in too)


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Skunk loach, maybe?


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## dolifisis (Sep 27, 2006)

Thanks for the replies. Those seem to be excellent choices however both too aggressive for my tank . Too bad, the puffers are really cute.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2008)

Skunk loaches are aggressive and get too large for a 12g. Plus they need groups like other loaches. DPs are too aggressive as well.

My Betta has never eaten a snail in his life.

I wouldn't add anything. Just don't overfeed. If you need to get some out, put a piece of cucumber or zucchini in there overnight. It works like a snail trap.


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## IAN (Apr 14, 2008)

All you need to do is get a little container, drill a hole in the top, put some vegetable matter, or bottom feeder pellets in, and lay it on the bottom of the tank. Turn out the lights. When you see several snails in the container, take it out, and dispose of them.

That should fix your problem.

Also, whenever you see eggs, KILL THEM!!! :chair: No eggs, No new snails.


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## amypicot (Mar 13, 2008)

we got some botia loaches (or something near that name) and they got rid of them for us, we were getting overcrowded and now only a couple


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2008)

Most Botias are too large and active for a 12g. Some are even aggressive.


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## Ricker (Nov 23, 2007)

I think I seen on this forums that pennies that are 1983 and under work good for snails. Because they are made of pure copper. Not 100% if this even works also not sure if it would hurt your fish. But I am sure some one here knows.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Try the zucchini since they do not seem to enjoy your cuke. You can also just haul them out by hand, though that is quite tedious, it will help some. If you see the eggs definitely get rid of them, thats your best prevention! But eggs are hard to see, so it won't work all the time. 

Good luck.


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## amypicot (Mar 13, 2008)

sorry didn't read the size of the tank, yeah mine are really active


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## dolifisis (Sep 27, 2006)

Yeah, I think I'll try zucchini since the cucumber doesn't work. I can't even get my big apple snail to eat cucumber (odd). The container idea sounds good too. I already pull out snails on a weekly basis. I use to try to dispose of eggs but there is so much greenery in there that's about fruitless.


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## welchrock (Jan 4, 2008)

I think Ricker is referring to my suggestion to someone else a few weeks ago - the 'Penny Trick'. I'm not sure where I got it but I've definitely had good luck with it, however I think it works better for prevention than cure/killing of snails.

Trick is to find 10 or so pre-1983 pennies and place them under your gravel. If you have a non-canister filter, you can even put them in your filter so that all the tank's water is constantly passing over them. The extremely small amounts of copper that leech out may be of help to you and with any luck, your tank will be filled with empty shells soon!

Why is your pH so low? Rid-a-Snail works great if you're able to get your pH around 7ish, especially in conjuction with the penny trick.


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## sandman (Apr 15, 2008)

best thing in the world i've found is the clown loach. 'though this may grow to be to big for your tank, a smaller young one may be the answer


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