What type of fish is a snail eating bottom feeder?

[Blazeherd2306]

Yea, clown loaches are good for snails, but they get a foot long and one would get way too big for a 10 gal.

[Musket]

I agree. I'd like to suggest something to my dad that doesn't need to me moved later on. Also something that will eat fish food as the snails won't always be there. Any ideas?

[gheitman]

Dwarf loach will definitely fit the bill as I recommended earlier.

[WaterPond]

kuhli loaches stay pretty small, don't they? they will eat the snails

[jibboo]

I kept 3 yo-yo loaches in my 10g for at least 3 years before I got a bigger tank (they were roughly 3-4" when I took them out). Yo-yo's eat snails.

[Musket]

Well, I picked up some black kuhli loaches (for both me and my dad) and they do swim around like mad hatters, but it's pretty entertaining. They hid the second they came from the QT tank to the big tank, but after an hour or so, they came out. I see a few here and there. I think it's funny how they burrow their heads in and leave their butt sticking out. I'm and ostrich, I can't see you so I must be hidden well. hahhahahaha

I did find some dwarf loachs labeled Botia sidthimunki, I asked the store owner- who happened to be standing next to me- if that was a dwarf loach, he said yes and stumbled over the pronunciation "Botia sidthimunki", but sou would I. VERY cute fish. but a listing price of 14.99 each... I think I better pass on this one. Glad I looked it up though, never would have remembered the name alone, but I did recognize both name and fish once I SAW it.

My dad ended up getting some small cory cats, can't remember which kind. So I have 8 more kuhlis to place in the big tank or one of my others tanks....

[jibboo]

Botia sidthimunki = bow-tee-ah Sid The Monkey

[Musket]

hahahaha you know I'm going to remember that one now!

[jibboo]

i just saw that on an auction at AquaBid.com and I didn't get the joke until I saw the scientific name for that loach ... so now I get the pass along the joke albeit in its proper context ... and now we as fish geeks can all joke about Sid The Monkey and nobody else will get it.

[onah]

yeah yoyos have a big rep here on this site for being snail munchers.

[Musket]

Originally Posted by jibboo

and now we as fish geeks can all joke about Sid The Monkey and nobody else will get it.

hahahahaha I'm looking for Sid the monkey please!

yoyo's are cute, I have not seen any for sale around here yet. Wait, I think I did about 4-5 months ago... I've read that they are fin nippers to angels and gouramis.. Not sure if that is a normal disposition or just that persons loaches.

[coldmachineUK]

Yoyos (almorhae) are a little bit nippy yep; they're possibly one of the more...um...'character-filled' of the botias (I personally think they can even be a bit more aggressive than clowns IME but thats probably a matter for debate!).

I love the Sid The Monkey joke! Got to remember that one now! It's a ready made name for a fish too huh?!

Black kuhlis are pretty hard to come by where I am, so good stuff that you got a few of them. Yes, fish are funny the way they think if you can't see them they can't see you! I often have loaches going in caves/logs but sticking their tails out as if they're totally safe, silly things

[Zezmo]

The Sid the monkey name is based on the latin, and means something to do with chains. That is the common name for these loaches, Dwarf Chain Loaches. There is some informaion that they do come in two sizes. One is the true dwarf and stays under 2". THe other gets about YoYo sized (3-4").

My experience is that loaches are not nippy in the least bit. They seem to have poor eyesight, and will follow the "smell" of food in the water until they fins it. The following of this smell trail often leads them into the face of other fish who have just ate. Most fish don't care for this and it can seem like the loach is harrasing them. Also, as long as you have at least 3 loaches, they tend to only interact with the other loaches.