i have a sand substrate fresh water 125 gallon long tank... i want someone to eat the poop off of my sand. will snails eat the crap and leave my plants alone? how many should i get? 3? what kind?
2006-10-30 16:20:01 · 10 answers · asked by louie 4 in Pets ➔ Fish
nothing is going to eat the fish waste. Scavengers, plecos, catfish, snails, etc. will eat food matter that falls to the bottom and/or algae growing in the aquarium in addition to their own food, but to get rid of fish waste you are going to have to vaccuum. Some people have had luck using self-starting gravel vaccuums held just above the sand and moved in a swirling motion or with the hose kinked, others like battery powered sludge removers that don't siphon any water.
2006-10-30 17:01:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes they will to a point. They prefer smoother sufaces such as the glass but will scavenge the bottom as well. You might want to consider a Corydorus Catfish who are excellent scavengers & add more activity to the aqrium. They are available in a wide variety. The one I currently have is an Albino with bright red eyes & it looks almost prehistoric & it never stops scurrying around the rocks & never touches the plants. Snails are somewhat vegitarian & prefer algea & in some cases can case havoc with your vegitation. If you do decide to get a snail make sure you get one that is neutered. Otherwise you could end up with several hundred of the little buggers especially in an aqurium of that size. Get one to start & decide from there. If you decide on catfish 2 or 3 will do just fine & the chances of them breeding is remote if at all. Talk to a reputable aquarium shop & they will guide you in the right direction. My choice would definately be Mr Catfish. I've had aquariums for 20 years & Mr. Catfish has been the most efficient scavenger. They eat pretty much anything & do an excellent job of eating the unwanted food the other fish leave behind which also lessons the chance of disease. Hope this helps!!!!!
2006-10-31 00:41:47 · answer #2 · answered by Diablo 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Nothing eats the poop. Easiest thing to do is just use the net and scoop it out. Give it a shake and the sand will filter through it and leave the poop in the net.
2006-10-31 00:36:34 · answer #3 · answered by tikitiki 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No alot of snails will eat the poop but will also eat your plants.
And they breed like heck.
Our 55 gallon started with one lonely little snail and was soon infested with tons of snails, This sounds mean but we ended up smashing the snail eggs, the fish enjoy them tho.
2006-10-31 00:24:42 · answer #4 · answered by atticbat63 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Just like on land, snails are opportunists with only one little spark firing in their minuscule brains - EAT (and breed if they come in contact with another sexy snail), so it is a bit of a crap shoot to put snails in with your plants.
Try it out with no more than two and see if your water to crap ratio lessens. You might try grass shrimp if you don't have any predator fish or some more plecostomus. They are always cool fish and come in a number of varieties.
When in doubt, gravel-vac but be careful doing it, or water change more frequently.
Good luck!
2006-10-31 02:56:04 · answer #5 · answered by Expat 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They won't eat it. They'll eat the plants. DO NOT gets snails. Trust me. I started with one, and now they've basically taken over one of my tanks. Evil little demons.
2006-10-31 15:59:59 · answer #6 · answered by Shadow 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sorry, snails dont eat the poop, it eats your plants. if you want something to eat the poop try the sucking catfish. these are thin spotted beautiful fish, and they never swim in the water. all they do is walk on the bottom or suction walk on the sides.
2006-10-31 01:03:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
snails eat plants, they don't eat crap
2006-10-31 00:23:59 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Snails might be able to do it, but glass shrimps work too.
2006-10-31 08:18:18 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'd get a catfish and a plecostomous (sp?)
2006-10-31 01:21:04 · answer #10 · answered by Strix 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋