snails in tank ?

[NEVERLAND]

snails in tank ? betta in tank ?

Iv got two tanks

20 gal with 4 molly and about 25+ fry with 2 small java ferns
15 gal 2 molly with 1 small anacharis



i wanted to know if i could get snails. will the snails eat all the left over food? eat the poop from my fish? or will they just attack my plants? i dont have any dirt or sand. its bare bottom with those flat marbles scatters around and iv got lil'glass pots for the plants. are fresh water snails a good idea?

what about a male betta? will the betta kill my other fish or will my male molly get territorial? what if i get a female betta?

 

[Rivercats]

I do not suggest a male betta unless you want to reduce your number of fry but even then it will probably be the target of aggression for the mollies. Snails don't eat fish waste but will eat excess food. If you have alot of excess food then you will get a population explosion of snails. If you get snails like mystery or ramshorn snails just be sure that the mollies don't pick at their antenna which would keep them from coming out of thier shell to eat.

 

[NEVERLAND]

I do not suggest a male betta unless you want to reduce your number of fry but even then it will probably be the target of aggression for the mollies. Snails don't eat fish waste but will eat excess food. If you have alot of excess food then you will get a population explosion of snails. If you get snails like mystery or ramshorn snails just be sure that the mollies don't pick at their antenna which would keep them from coming out of thier shell to eat.

thanks for the reply!

so a female betta would be fine? and i have my fry in a homemade breeder box. (its a large grape juice jug with holes in it) i want to move my fry into the 15 gal im just waiting for my other molly to give birth and have them all moved at once.

and yes i do happen to get a lot of food on tank bottom. as long as the snails get fed they wont harm my plants?

 

[Rivercats]

If you have that much excess food you need to cut way back on feeding. All those excess nutrients are no good for your tank and can cause poor water conditions.

I would not add any betta, male or female.

Mystery and ramshorns won't eat live plants but do eat on decaying plant matter. I don't suggest any more than one snail per tank and if you keep feeding so heavily you could end up with tons of snails.

 

[NEVERLAND]

If you have that much excess food you need to cut way back on feeding. All those excess nutrients are no good for your tank and can cause poor water conditions.

I would not add any betta, male or female.

Mystery and ramshorns won't eat live plants but do eat on decaying plant matter. I don't suggest any more than one snail per tank and if you keep feeding so heavily you could end up with tons of snails.

okay ill cut back on feeding. and thank you for the advise.

 

[Iodizedfate]

If you're worried about snail population explosion you could get some Nerites, their eggs only hatch in brackish water. They are also excellent algae eaters.

Ramshorns are considered a pest by a lot of people and if you overfeed they will take over the tank.

Apple snails will eat plants, when I had one it seemed to like my wysteria a lot. I since have gotten rid of it and only have a couple zebra nerites.

 

[NEVERLAND]

If you're worried about snail population explosion you could get some Nerites, their eggs only hatch in brackish water. They are also excellent algae eaters.

Ramshorns are considered a pest by a lot of people and if you overfeed they will take over the tank.

Apple snails will eat plants, when I had one it seemed to like my wysteria a lot. I since have gotten rid of it and only have a couple zebra nerites.

HA your ava is hilarious.

nywho. ill look up those snails and see which i like. def not the one that will eat my plants. and over pop is not a problem. i could always take them out of my tank and and throw them into the pond my neighbor has behind his house. hes got turtles mostly.

 

[Rivercats]

The issue with nerites is they don't eat excess food which is what the OP is wanting a snail for. Also I didn't think about this but you could try some Ghost shrimp. They are cheap, will eat excess food, and would work great if the mollies left them alone.

 

[NEVERLAND]

The issue with nerites is they don't eat excess food which is what the OP is wanting a snail for. Also I didn't think about this but you could try some Ghost shrimp. They are cheap, will eat excess food, and would work great if the mollies left them alone.

he does have a point there. i am looking for a snail to eat the left over food. and i could try ghost shrimp in the adult tank. i think it would be a bad idea to have them in with my fry.

 

[Rivercats]

Ghost shrimp, at least adult larger ones, would eat fry if they catch them.

 

[NEVERLAND]

Ghost shrimp, at least adult larger ones, would eat fry if they catch them.

OOOO i think ill look into the snails. seems safer.

 

[Iodizedfate]

The issue with nerites is they don't eat excess food which is what the OP is wanting a snail for. Also I didn't think about this but you could try some Ghost shrimp. They are cheap, will eat excess food, and would work great if the mollies left them alone.

You're right, I should have thought of that. I just love nerites! I would go with the ramshorns if I was you. Then you have a pretty good gauge if you're over feeding or not.