Clown Loaches and MTS

[wufmama]

I have two small clown loaches in my tank - about 2 1/2 inches long. I am reading that they will eat snails, especially MTS... Malay Trumpet Snails.
So far they have not bothered my Gold Inca Snail, nor my Ramshorn Snail. So my question is... will clown loaches this small eat adult MTS if I put some in there? Or are the loaches too small, and will then only eat any newborn trumpet snails, and keep that population (assuming I have new borns eventually).

Thanks!! and since I just found this site...Nice to meet everyone!

Wufmama

 

[victimizati0n]

Thanks for joining! You will find this is a great community, with great and helpfull people.

How big are the snails your clowns arent eating?

Also, I'm sure an adult Clown loach would eat them.

Do you want the snails in your tank, or did you buy the clowns because of them?

And if you just got the clowns, they are probably a little stressed from the move (My babie clowns didnt eat for 2 days, and the biggest one went about 3 or 4 days)

 

[wufmama]

Hiya!

The ramsnorn snail is about 1 1/2 in across... the gold inca snail is about 1 inch across... andthe loaches arent new, and theyre eating well... very active.

I am trying to figure out if I can safely add MTS, since it burrows and would eat the stuff under the gravel. These loaches are daytime active, so if the MTS are primarily night active, I was thinking that would keep them out of the notice of the loaches for the most part...at least while the loaches are this small. Then I considered that if the MTS began producing mass quantities of baby snails, the loaches are big enough to take care of that issue...


Thanks

 

[c_paan]

I would say you will have noe problems as of right now the clowns are too small to eat the snails. but I read another post by you, and I think you are way over stocked as is adding something else to your tank wil only bring in more waste then actually cleaning. I realize its only one snail and if they breed they would be eatin but you may tip the scale there and have major issues in that tank!

 

[ashleigh]

Right, I think a lot of people want snails to take care of waste. Not to be crude but, remember that they create it too. I think C_paan is right, you are way overstocked and you have to be very careful. I have four tanks- two 2.5s a thirty and a twenty- and I have the same number of fish in those four tanks that you have in one. I'm not trying to be unkind, but you need to be really careful.

 

[wufmama]

OK. I am planning on getting another tank going next month, and will split out what I have in the one running now.

Maybe then I will get MTS to go in the tank without the loaches... and shift extra snails over to the loach tank as needed...

Thanks for your help!

 

[ashleigh]

How large will your new tank be?

 

[wufmama]

I am looking at a 29gal long and a 15 gal long... if I can figure the space out, maybe both.

 

[wufmama]

I am also running two 2.5 gal tanks with a female betta and an otocinclus and a gold inca snail in each. I have a 5 gal tank I am pondering as well...

 

[Lotus]

I have had clown loaches kill almost any size snail. They nipped a 1" mystery snail to death. I have heard some people say they don't like MTS because their shells are harder, but I haven't kept those with loaches. The loaches will probably eat all the ramshorns in your tank at some point, especially as the loaches grow.

Personally, I would buy a larger tank than a 29g, if possible, even if it means waiting a while. Perhaps a 46g or 50g. That would mean you wouldn't have to get a larger tank for some time.

 

[Cillana]

My yoyo loaches suck MTS right out of their shells. I want to have some MTS because they churn up the gravel (can't really do that with a gravel vac when you have tons of plants). They pretty much decimated my MTS population in that tank, but I just transfer more from my other overrun tank and it takes the yoyos awhile to find them all.