# Will crayfish eat snails?



## ChickenScratch

Hi, I have a 20 gallon aquarium with 4 brilliant rasboras, and a ton of ivory snails. I started out with 4 big snails, and recently I found a bunch of baby snails in my tank. I am thinking about getting a new 5 gallon tank and a crayfish, and feeding some of the snails to it.

Do you think the crayfish would eat the snails (they are about 1/4-1/2 inch), and do you think 5 gallons is big enough for a crayfish?

Thanks, Seth.


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## fishfreaks

imo 5 gallons is enough, as long as its just the crayfish. but i dont know if they eat snails. i do know that they will eat anything else though such as fish or fish food


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## shev

Yes, crayfish will eat snails. when younger they seen to be more carnivorous.


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## ChickenScratch

ok thanks :-D


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## shev

Im not sure if it will eat big snails. maybe it depends on the crayfish. I even read they eat clams.


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## fishyshawn

I have the same problem But the snails i did nt put in there, they just showed up a week after we set the tank up. We took the to snails out and i tryed using a gravel vac to suck up the little snail is there any way to get rid of them other than a crayfish. :help: http://www.fishforums.com/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=38639#
Icon_help


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## mlefev

I don't know. As soon as they get started, they're terrible to get rid of. Fish store people say to use snail-killer, but since snails seem a lot tougher than fish, I figure everything in the tank would die. I keep a few snails in my tank to help with cleanup, but as soon as I start seeing little ones, I pick them out immediately. I swear they can breed the day they're born..lol. Other than gutting the entire tank, and sterilizing everything, I don't know if there is a sure-fire way to get rid of them


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## fishfreaks

clown loaches will eat them i know that, but only if you have a large enough tank for a small school of them.


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## shev

yoyo loaches love them too. crayfish will also eat your rasboras... I missed the part where you said what was in your tank.


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## ChickenScratch

I got a crayfish (his name is creighton) and put him in the five gallon tank. He happily gobbles up the snails I put in his tank  . He has already molted twice and grew a lot, so I decided to move him into a ten gallon tank.

I would like to keep as many snails as I can, so how many of the apple snails do you think i can leave in the 20 gallon tank?


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