Loaches Online Forum

Does anyone know if my clowns would eat mystery snails? I know they have a kinda of protective shield over there hole when they are inside but what if the clowns "sneak" up on them? Is that even possible? I want to add some to my tank but not if they will be clown food.

Most botine species will eat snails. If you don´t wan´t them eat, better not introducing them.

Mine clowns, for example, love snails:



Marcos

Oh I know mine love snails too lol. However mystery snails have a shield most snails to not also they get pretty big I was thinking maybe to big for the clowns to want to eat. I mean I love steak but I'm not gonna go chomp on a cow

Unless you are bigger than a cow, right?

Some Clown loaches can get bigger than 30cm. I´m not sure those snails can be as big as that...

The problem I see is that even if the clown can't eat the snail, it will most certainly try to do so. The snail will probably be constantly harrassed.

The shield is called an operculum. It is attached near the foot of the snail, and the snail can pull it shut to keep in water and predators out.

My clowns can power right through Mystery snails, MTS, pond and rams horn. I keep my snails in seperate tanks from my loaches.

I feed my Clowns garden snails, about the size of Apple and Mystery snails. Overnight, the snail is gone.

Loaches will indeed harass the snails, nipping at whatever they can until the snail stays inside his shell and dies of starvation.

Do not add snails to a tank with snail eating fish unless you are feeding the fish. Most Puffers, and many Loaches will kill snails of any size, sooner or later.
Some Cichlids are also known to eat snails.

An easy test is to add some pond snails to a tank. They have a thin enough shell that any fish that will go for snails will be able to tackle pond snails pretty fast, so you can figure out whether it is safe to add a pet snail to the tank.

If you decide to add a pet snail, keep a close eye on it. If it stays closed up for several hours to a day, this is not a problem, but longer suggests there is something wrong. Move it to another tank without the Loaches.
If you see even a hint of the fish nipping at it, move it.

Thank you all SO much for your advice

There are mysteries introduced in a river up the road- I've tried them a couple of times, never with success. They got harassed until they croaked, then got 'et. Nerite snails do a lot better, but they also get any bits that come out of the shell (naughty bits, i think) ripped off/out- it just doesn't kill them.

I a moment of sociopathy I put in 10 monster mysteries (I had about 5000, 10 seemed reasonable to keep) in to try it again about 6 weeks ago... and they're are doing brilliantly!! (touch wood). The glass & stones are cleaner then ever. Once in a while the Y-Mod-Squad or the clowns give them a quick sniff/once-over, but so far so good.
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