What Fish Eat Snails? 10 Freshwater Fishes That Do

Thinking of how you can get rid of snails in your aquarium? What’s better than having snail-eating fish which could clear up the snail problem? Here we will explore the list of fishes that hunt snails, and on top of that we will discuss some species for you to consider having. Snail prevention is a realistic option as well as keeping your snail population under control with the help of good plants.

The fish that eat snails are generally small fish that live in deep water. The fish that eat snails usually live below the depth of the ocean, but some species can also be found on rocky reefs and on small islands. The fish will first attack the snail using their jaws, then move it with their mouths to swallow it whole. This is because the predator knows that the meat is full of nutrients, which are not found in aquatic plants or algae.

Dealing With Snail Population

Snails are the snail population that may be hard to deal with. The snail population can get very large and cause a lot of damage if you do not take care of them. If they are not controlled , they can also spread diseases to other fish.

Many different snail species will eat snails and other pests like snails, but some fish won’t feed on these specific types of food because they aren’t suitable for their diet or don’t have enough nutritional value for the amount needed by the fish to survive while growing in captivity.

Here’s the list of fishes that eat snails:

1. Dwarf Gourami

This is probably the most popular snail killer in the freshwater aquarium world, where it’s considered a short or aggressive type that require very little tank space (only one foot). It can grow to 35 milimeters long easily ! The clown like advanced green color will make your collection stand out among other aquaria! Not only accommodating , it can even be marketed as one of your colorful fishes!

2. Lyretail Barbs

These creatures may not be large but they have teeth which are credible enough to slay even an snail with their bite and eat it at once while swallowing the parts used by them quickly without having time to think since they just must finish killing more prey before developing some enemy ’s threat.

3. Dwarf Cichlids

Cichlid Fish is a type of tropical freshwater fishes, acting as the main source of food for a number of species in aquarium animal because their role can be created by any habitat including tanks which have ample amounts only fresh watery environments that have different colors ranging from light blue to deep red or straw-yellow and many other tiny little vivid shades . Also they do not necessarily need extra food in their diet because they are able to catch animals very often due to the high quality relationship between this species and other live organisms.

4. Betta Fish

If your betta fish is female, she will have a snail in her mouth shortly after being introduced to the aquarium. This tells you that fishing snails works especially well for this species of fish! But what’s interesting about these small water dragons? Unlike many other fishes, bettas are carnivorous which means they need protein-rich foods to grow large and healthy.

You might be able to feed them krill or other types of crustaceans, but you will not get very much out of that. Get yourself some fresh snails at the same time you get your betta, and let her eat what she wants!

5. Zebra Loach

This interesting fish is more of an oddity than a regular game fish, due to its poor ability at catching prey. Its mouth structure and teeth are so weak it cannot bite anything more than an insect or something similar. Yet, despite this fact they can be very aggressive towards their own species too!

6. Cory Catfish

The catfish with a difference is an interesting character and his approach to snails is unique. Snails are much more interested in large, juicy, and nutritious prey items, so their preference for smaller prey items might be just a defense mechanism.

In most cases, Cory cats would spend most of their time focusing their attention on smaller snails (and their eggs). These little guys are good for aquariums. They get rid of snails and other critters hiding in the substrate.

7. Bala Shark

Bala Sharks are known for being extremely aggressive and territorial, so it is impossible to have one in a community aquarium. They can get by very well on smaller food items such as snails though!

Even so, snails are still their preferred prey item. They will take them out of the tank right there and eat them in front of you! It is great to see your Bala Sharks cleaning up all potential harmful bacteria at the same time! We know they look cool but nourishing good water aquarium fish food is an important thing too if it’s not done properly you can end up with fewer or even no specimens upon arrival .

8. Plecostomus

These guy folks absolutely love snails! Usually, they will not bother with them at all if given the choice of food items. If you just don’t give him any small pets to snack on he will simply ignore his snail snacks until it is gone! His preference for snails as food is likely due to his smaller size (he really doesn’t need them). But this guy loves those crunchy little guys though. Not only can he eat anything small and smooth, but he sure does like that taste of snail meat! Their slim shells makes great sources of calcium and other nutrients and their chitinous shell helps keep the Plecostomus healthy. They also provide a protective layer that can prevent your fish from eating or damaging them. And because they tend to be a lot smaller you don’t have to worry too terribly much about the Plecostomus hurting itself while cleaning up contaminated food sources in their tank! Just make sure your supplies of snails are constant and not too close together!

9. Banggai Cardinalfish

These guys do quite well on snail meat, especially when offered that little sprinkle of worms or small brine shrimp to spice it up a bit! Just because your Banggai likes the occasional meal doesn’t mean you should give him all off-the-shelf food. Try finding some decent sized live/frozen foods exclusive for fish to get them stumped from eating too much junk in their diet!

10. Clown Loach

The clown loach has a symbiotic relationship with earthworms. The clown loach digs holes in the substrate to find worms, which then escape into the open water column where they are eaten by other fish. With this strategy of living on top of snails that live below ground, it is possible for them to do some good and remove unwanted pests from your aquarium environment during their active periods . They aren’t great cleaners for their own and contribute very little to the overall disorder, so they don’t need a whole lot of snails introduced. But if you do direct feed them with occasional wormies, it may be better for your clown loach as well as the other inhabitants in your aquarium!

How can you locate the eggs of a snail fish?

Locating snail eggs is not easy; most would say impossible. But they do exist and the eggs hatch into baby snails and if these fish will eat them it can be a good way of controlling snail populations in your tank environment, however we cannot guarantee that every species of snail fish will take on this task as some fish are more aggressive than others.