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Need NON Snail Eating Loach or Botia!!!

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 12:58 am
by Cyberkat
:idea: Help!!
I have a 40 g breeder that has 2-med/lrg Angel fish, 4-long fin Danio, 2-Rams and some Nerite Snails (Zebra and Horned Zebra). I plan on adding several more nerite's and some live plants eventually but I need a scavenger or two.
What I'm looking for is something that is between 2-4 inches fully grown that will not eat my snails or plants.
I had wanted a Botia but can't find any that are not snail eaters!! So far the only safe Loaches/Botia's I can find are the different Kuhli's, is there anything else that might work?

All idea's/suggestions are VERY much needed and appreciated!! :D

Re: Need NON Snail Eating Loach or Botia!!!

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:41 am
by mattyd
You could get some Upside Down Catfish :-) ... or some corydoras.

Otherwise, if the snails are big enough, then dwarf chain loaches (sidthimunki) would probably not be a problem with your snails. But you would still be taking a risk, unless you make sure that the fish are well fed. And I would recommend 5-8 of them at the miminum. These guys are awesome fun to have in a tank.... so active and playful.

Re: Need NON Snail Eating Loach or Botia!!!

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:49 am
by ClownLoachSharky
I would say Dwarf Chain Loaches, Kuhli loaches or Rosy Loaches.

mattyd wrote:You could get some Upside Down Catfish :-) ... or some corydoras.

Otherwise, if the snails are big enough, then dwarf chain loaches (sidthimunki) would probably not be a problem with your snails. But you would still be taking a risk, unless you make sure that the fish are well fed. And I would recommend 5-8 of them at the miminum. These guys are awesome fun to have in a tank.... so active and playful.
Hey Matty,

Are you on Aquariumlife? I have seen you on QLDAF. I go by the username Loach :)
Also, Jodilea at fishchicks have Rosy loaches at the moment!

Re: Need NON Snail Eating Loach or Botia!!!

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:54 am
by mattyd
Yeah, I caught up with Jodie recently and she showed me some pictures of the Rosy Loaches. Interesting little small things. Although I'm not sure how they fit into my loach keeping, so I probably won't look at getting them.

I am on Aquariumlife as well, just not very often. I'm too busy looking after my fish, working, and rebuilding the v8 in my car.

Re: Need NON Snail Eating Loach or Botia!!!

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:39 am
by Diana
Nerites are pretty big for a snail, so the smaller Loaches are not going to be able to crunch through the shell. If the Loach is strongly snail oriented, though, they could pester the snail to death by nipping at it whenever the snail is out of its shell. The smaller Loaches suggested above sound good.
Non-botia types might work, too, but watch the temperature requirement. Angelfish are hot tank fish, and Danios are cool water fish, so you already have an issue there.

Re: Need NON Snail Eating Loach or Botia!!!

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 11:17 pm
by Cyberkat
Thanks everyone for your help!! Just need to make up my mind given these new choices!! :D