# Do Goldfish actually eat snails?



## OCtrackiepacsg1

I hear this all the time from petstores as there excuse for combining tropical and goldfish. But do they actually eat snails?


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## Ghost Knife

OCtrackiepacsg1 said:


> I hear this all the time from petstores as there excuse for combining tropical and goldfish. But do they actually eat snails?


No. Come to think of it I can't think of any cold water fish that will eat snails. It doesn't really matter as most snails are tropical anyway. I did have some pond snails in my old goldfish tank that thrived and now they are in my tropical tank when I moved stuff over.


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## Corwin

green sunfish devour snails with glee.

Ive heard of Gold Fish eating pond snails, though ive never seen it personaly, so I would trust Ghost when he says no.


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## emc7

Like most cichlids, small goldfish will eat the snails if you crush them, but don't have the right mouth to deal with whole shells, though that might change when they get up in size. .


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## OCtrackiepacsg1

I see, my gourami used to love crushed snails. But could never crush the shells itself. So the goldfish can slurp them out?


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## Corwin

Ive seen my sunfish toss them up into the water untill they manage to get a hold of the snail's foot, then they just suck them out of the shell


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## emc7

I don't know what 18" long goldfish are capable of, so I qualified my answer. My experience is only with little ones. Its conceivable the big ones could crunch the shells or suck them out.


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## Peeps

No, small goldfish do not eat snails. BUT I have seen some of my bigger ones eat snails before.


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## Ghost Knife

My largest goldfish were up to about 8" from mouth to tail when I traded them in and they never ate snails, but it is certainly possible with the largest ones.


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## Corwin

wierd, almost seems like it depends on the fish, or perhapse the specific species of goldfish


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## Ghost Knife

Corwin said:


> wierd, almost seems like it depends on the fish, or perhapse the specific species of goldfish


I had Black Moors and Red Cap Orandas and they never even bothered the snails.


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