Use aquarium snail eaters: After we have already dealt extensively with the snails and also on a possible one plague of snails have been received, more and more questions reach us when it comes to the snail eater goes. Do these already exist and what are snail eaters in the aquarium. Do these make sense and which snails are particularly preferred?
Slug infestation can quickly become a problem
Basically, snails are very useful and many aquarists use snails first. Unfortunately, there are also many Snail species and genera, which multiply very quickly. Although the aquarist is often to blame here, such a plague still has to be eliminated. Too much food can be the cause of too many snails in the aquarium.
Of course, there are also a number of means in chemistry to get at the snails. But especially in shrimp and Nano aquarium area, this is not only harmful to the snails, but can also invertebrates lead to death. That's why we want to take care of snail eaters here, so that you can possibly get the snails under control again without using chemicals.
Snail Eating Fish
Let's start with the fish, which like to feed on snails. These are usually out of the question for shrimp breeders, but a plague of snails can also occur in a normal aquarium, i.e. not in a nano aquarium. The reason here is mainly the size of the fish.
Nevertheless, in an aquarium of around 400 liters, for example, you can worry about whether there are different loach species like clown loach uses. She likes to eat snails. Also puffer fish They like snails, although the keeping conditions there are very special, so that they can hardly ever be kept in a community tank. Many puffer fish also need salt water, so keeping them in our freshwater tanks is not possible. But there are other snail eaters to get a snail plague under control.
Dwarf crabs and crayfish as snail eaters
A very good possibility besides the fish are especially crabs. Here you should make sure that you socialize the smaller species. Large species can also eat snails, but cause problems such as that plant growth concerns. We ourselves have had the experience here that a beautiful planted aquarium is devastated quite quickly.
With the smaller ones dwarf crabs like Cambarellus but this should not happen. These can also be kept very well with fish and thus in the community tank. Also some shrimp can be along with dwarf crabs socialized become. There are also some types of crayfish which enjoy the snails.
Snail Eater Shrimp
Some species of shrimp also love snails and can be kept in community tanks at the same time. These are usually the so-called large arm shrimp. However, they should not be kept in a nano aquarium, but need much larger tanks from about 60 liters. Above all, you should also note that this shrimp can also eat other fish that live on the bottom. With her big arms this is easily possible. Some specimens can grow up to 10 cm.
Predatory snails as snail eaters
It sounds quite strange, but there are snail species that can also attack other snails and like to eat them. It is therefore possible to get the snail plague under control by stocking predatory snails. But one thing has to be taken into account here as well, because young or possibly freshly skinned shrimp can also fall victim to the predatory snail. Probably the best known predatory snail is the Clea helena. You can also buy these in specialist shops or even online.
combat causes
In conclusion, however, one must say above all that one must first look at the exact causes, because a plague of snails usually comes from too many things Feed. Here it can even be that the predatory snails multiply quickly. That's why you should never feed too much and always feed a little less.
No matter which predators one against them snails want to use, it is always important to take care of the causes. More information can be found in the other two articles Snails in the aquarium.