what loach should I get?

[tom91970]

What loach would you suggest for my 29g community tank? I need a fish to minimize my snail population but will not eat my ghost shrimp.

I want one that stays under 6 inches, will be happy alone or with just one or two other little loach buddies and will not harm my plants which are planted in small, pea-sized gravel.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful.

TIA

 

[James From Cali]

Kuhlie or Skunk may be your best bet. But not sure how your Shrimp will fare with them.

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

i think any loach that eats snails will eat shrimp. I have yo yo, skunk, kuhli, dojo,clown loaches and i had shrimp... they are gone now, within days they disappeared so any of those fish i would steer clear of if you really want to keep your shrimps.

 

[FreshwaterJeff]

My zebra loaches have left my amano shrimp alone, for the most part...but my loaches are young and not much bigger than the shrimp right now. We'll see what happens as they grow...

The biggest obstacle for you may be the number - almost every loach prefers to be kept in a group of 3 at the bare minimum. Maybe look into something like a Sumo Loach, but then we're back to the "danger to the shrimp" problem.

 

[tom91970]

i think any loach that eats snails will eat shrimp.

This is what I'm thinking. I guess I'll just have to ignore the snails for now...

 

[Helena21]

my brother has 4 khuli's with about 10 shrimp. The khulis don't bother the shrimp, but i dont think they eat snails...

 

[IDunnoWhy]

....and will not harm my plants which are planted in small, pea-sized gravel.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful.

TIA

Well many Loaches are considered "diggers" so you may find keeping your plants rooted to be difficult.

As someone else said many species of loach prefer groups of at least 3. Also someone suggested possibly a skunk loach, I have read they tend to be more on the aggressive side.

A couple small-ish suggestions for you may be:

Chain Loach
Dwarf Loach (Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki) — Loaches Online

Zodiac Loach (prefer water with a little more current)
Mesonoemacheilus triangularis — Loaches Online

Khuli Loach (several varieties)
Pangio piperata — Loaches Online

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Kuhli loaches will not eat snails, not even tiny baby snails or snail eggs. (But, I also tend to agree they're safe with shrimp...)

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

i forgot about sidthumunki loaches... those are perfect, they stay small under 1.5 inches and eat snails, leave plants alone and shouldn't bother shrimps too much.

 

[IDunnoWhy]

Kuhli loaches will not eat snails, not even tiny baby snails or snail eggs. (But, I also tend to agree they're safe with shrimp...)

Ahh, yes I missed the part about wanting a loach to eat snails, I was just shooting for small-ish loaches. *thumbsups