There is no problem of cohabitation between fish and snails. In any case, the cohabitation will take place in the most total ignorance of one towards the other. At worst, the fighter will tickle the snail the first time, but that’s all… No special precautions to be taken.
Table of Contents
Do snails eat fish?
No, this can happen very rarely on dead fish, but it is impossible for a snail to eat a fish while it is alive, and walking around in the aquarium! So don’t panic.
Why don’t snails eat fish?
It’s actually quite logical, to begin with, most fish are bigger than the snails themselves, so if this were to happen, it would take them a long time to eat the fish completely!
Why have snails in your aquarium?
In small quantities, snails can contribute to the proper functioning of your aquarium. They eat excess food, waste, algae and dead fish and thus limit pollution.
They are also a good indicator of the condition of your aquarium, if the amount of snails is very high, it means that there is too much organic waste and you are overfeeding your fish.
If the snails in your aquarium all die at the same time or start to migrate to the surface, this indicates a pollution problem, a lack of oxygen or a strong imbalance in your aquarium.
It is important to act quickly, as your fish will soon suffer from these problems.
How to get rid of snails if you have too many?
You can limit the population by removing a few by hand when you see them on the windows or plants. The “puffer fish” (or Botia) loves to eat snails, but beware, on the one hand you won’t have any snails at all and on the other hand, this fish is to be reserved for large aquariums (over 400l). There are also chemical products sold in pet shops to control snails (not recommended), the natural approach is the best solution.
The problem with these products is that they can accumulate in the algae and poison the fish that eat them. Another trick is to put a small flat plate in the bottom of the aquarium with some food pellets on it. Turn off the light for a few hours, the snails will come to the plate to eat the pellets; turn the light back on and remove the plate with the snails on it.
The problem with this trap is that if you have bottom-feeding fish, they will come and eat the pellets long before the snails! You can also limit the amount of food left in the bottom by vacuuming it up after meals.
