Do Clown loaches eat snails?

[SPARKYTHEWELDER]

Are snails good food for Clown loaches ? The reason i am asking is the local petsmart will give me a bunch if i come in and get them ! They have an infestation of snails which look like a horn. The largest i observed was about 3/4 of an inch in length.

Also is there a chance of infection from these snails from parasites or anything else and should i cursh the snails first before feeding to the loaches ?

Again I appreciate all your help in this issue.

Sincerely

Sparky

[newshound]

don't do it!!!
yes snails are great at carrying parasites or anything else nasty!

[chefkeith]

Agreed. Don't feed them live foods like snails unless you've raised them yourself and you're sure they are parasite free.

[Diana]

The 'horn' shaped ones are likely Malaysian Trumpet Snails. These have a very hard shell and it takes the fish a while to learn to eat these. They will figure it out.

I would get some and put them in quarantine. They eat fish food (flakes, pellets and all sorts of other things). After a couple of weeks and a few very thorough water changes go ahead and add them to the tanks. I got a couple of dozen from Pet Smart many years ago, and have them in all tanks with many water chemistries, from low end brackish, to very soft, acidic water. They eat a little algae, coming out at night or after a water change to clean the glass. They are not really very good at eating algae, though.

They are very good at moving the substrate around, and opening up channels for better water flow.