Snail eating Gouramis? Or, My Mollusks are Missing.

[Allivymar]

Purchased a couple of Dwarf Gouramis last week. Had them in my hotel tank for a couple of days while I finished setting up their home. I had been keeping snails in the hotel tank for loach snacks, and researched gourami diets to see if they ate em as well. All I could find was giant gouramis did, so I didn't think it would be a prob.

Moved the gouramis into their new home during the week and realised yesterday, when I went to grab a snail for the loaches, that ALL the snails are gone. Not one to be found. Its a cycled 10g tank, no meds ever used in it and has a small Fluval 1+ filter and is totally covered.

Did the gouramis eat them?? For the life of my I can't imagine where they got to...I didn't think dwarf gouramis ate snails but, where else could they have gone??

 

[tkos]

Gouramis could eat small snails. A lot of people say that Bettas will do it too. But snails are also really good at hiding in the gravel or in filters. Funny that they all would have taken off.

 

[Allivymar]

Since its a hotel tank, there is no substrate at all. The only thing other then the Fluval 1+ filter and an airstone is a plant with 2 leaves left on it (LOL left it in their for the snails to chow on). Hubby and I both have checked the tank and can't find any. I'm going to guess they'll be showing up again when the eggs hatch; there must be SOME of those left in there, even if its in the filter.

The gouramis were in there for only 2 days. Heck, it took my clown loaches 4 to clear my main tank of snails; the gouramis were kinda pudgy when I moved them to their new tank tho...hrmm.

 

[TankGirl]

I have kept my dwarf gourami in my snail tank (for my puffers )and he never bothered snail one. It has adults and tiny babies, and everything in between. That is interesting. I would never have expected it!

 

[Allivymar]

Me either TankGirl! I found only ONE site mention anything about snails n gouramis; and they were talking giant, not dwarf. I wouldn't have stuck them in with the snails had I known. Much as I loathe snails, I was trying to keep the loaches happy, and the snails were easier to deal with then live worms (yuck!). Sad part is, I promised a friend with a puffer a handful of snails LOL I have to go tell her I'm sorry and its the gourami's fault

Btw, everytime I see your nick, I picture Lori Petty. You don't have the bleach blonde half-do do you? LOL

 

[tkos]

I wouldn't think that a gourami could crush a shell of a snail. I assume they could eat the fleshy bit out of the shell but that would still leave some shells behind. Hmmmm?

 

[Allivymar]

Theres plenty of shells...that part of the prob. I had used the tank to QT some loaches and they ate the snails I dropped in. I never took em out (the snail shells) LOL and never counted em so....I have NO idea if any of em are from the gouramis LOL Duh.

 

[TankGirl]

No blonde 'do here. I am a semi-retired punk rocker, tho, and once my tank collection started growing with no sign of stopping, Tank Girl I became.