Stingray loach?

[sweetpickles7]

I am stocking a 29gal and want to add snails but i have a few questions first.My stocking plan is going to be something like this i hope:10 guppies, snails, some ghost shrimp, and some type of loachs. I am wanting to add stingray loaches since they only get 3in big, but im not sure if they will eat the snails? If they dont, then how many yoyo loaches should i add, because i like them too. Sorry for so many questions,oops one more.Will they eat the shrimp?

 

[Lotus]

Hillstream loaches (what you call stingray loaches) won't eat snails or shrimp. Yoyo loaches would eat both, and also get kind of large for a 29g.

 

[sweetpickles7]

Thats what i was afraid of for the yoyos.Is there any small loach that would keep the snail population down?

 

[Lotus]

Zebra loaches or chain loaches would work.

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

sidthemunki loaches stay less than 1.5 inches long and will devour all snails... but if the fish eats snails it will more than likely eat ghost shrimps also so beware.

With the guppies beware of baby fry they pop out like dandelions, everywhere you don't want them. I had two yo yo in my 29 gallon tank, but one didn't make it. My tank is highly stocked as i used to be heavly planted till i ripped them all out. Now i am moving into 60 gallon to give them all room. But my yo yo hasn't grown to much due to the community being packed i think. I would go with sids if you can afford them they are pricey.

10 guppies will give you crap loads of baby fry, how many stingray loaches you planning?

 

[sweetpickles7]

Actually the guppy fry are going to be eaten by my cons,oscar,and so forth. I dont think we have sidthemunki loaches anywhere around here.I might get khuli loachs.. they dont eat shrimp until they get full grown.

 

[FreshwaterJeff]

I'm not sure kuhlis will eat snails, either...

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

my kuhli don't eat snails, they are a year old and still small, long but skinny. Sid's are hard to find as they just recently figured how to breed or something like that, they are pricey because they are short in stock and high in demand, my LFS has one tank with a lot but they have had them for almost three months now, i was gonna get about six of them but i no longer have planted tank. As far as snails with loaches my rule of thumb is a botia loach will devour snails, hillstream loaches will leave alone (certain exceptsions i am sure)