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Hi guys...
I have a snail infestation that I would like to fix up with some loaches. My tank is 3ft long, holds around 160l.
It currently houses 2 smallish angels,2 sailfin mollies,6 skunk cories & 7 black phantom tetras.My question is if I added say 2 small clowns would that overload the tank? I know they get quite large,but, I've been told they grow quite slowly,how long before they would outgrow the tank ?
Thanks..

"if you're goin swimmin,watch out for the noahs"

Yes, you can get 2 CL's & yes, they are slow growing but just make sure that you can keep them when they get larger. One other thing about CL's, i have one in my tank & never seen it eat any snails, it only eats fish food & i have to remove the snails daily by hand...........

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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Thanks for the reply Jason
I figure when they get too large for the tank I'll say to my wife " sorry honey, I didn't realise they got that big..
I'll have to get a bigger tank for them" As for eating snails,I've read quite a few posts regarding snail pests & people have suggested that loaches will make a meal of them,so,maybe I'll give a couple a go & see what happens..they are a cool lookin fish.
Cheers...Ash

"if you're goin swimmin,watch out for the noahs"

Other smaller loaches will eat snails as well (yo-yos, queens, etc). Important to remember that most loaches-including clowns-prefer the company of their own kind so it's best to keep at least 3 to 4 together in a tank.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Hi,

I would suggest 3 or 4 yoyo loaches. They are very active, stay small and hate snails. They'll eliminated the snail population very soon. I have seven of them in my 90g and they are one of the most exciting fish to watch once they settle in.

-Mughal

I've seen Clown Loaches eat snails... I had a LOT of them, seemed as if they were hiding and then like got into the tank some how. I bought 1 CL for the time being because it was a 10gal and he(or she) ate all of them ^^

10G- 6 Zebra Danios, 1 Upside Down Catfish
20G- 1 Goldfish
72G(maybe95)- Need Stock suggestions

dont forget also, that once the angels get larger, they may be able to take down all the snails themselfs. i had some in my large tank and before i added my clowns or yoyos, the angels had already wiped them out.

but if it is to bad and you dont want to wait for them to get bigger, then yes clowns would work right away

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

In your size tank, and with your fish you already have, I would not suggest more than two loaches. Loaches are aggressive eaters, even when their bellies are full of snails. Your corys may not get enough food, as they will be competing with the aggressive eating loaches. I would suggest either one or two Yo-Yo loaches. These guy do not anywhere near as large as the clowns will. They will more than solve your snail problem. And they are a very attractive fish. If you get one small enough, they may even school with your corys, I know mine did. I have had a single Yo-Yo that I move from tank to tank to help control the MTS population in many of them. He is 5 inches long and I have had him for over 8 years now. I love this guy!

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There is always a bigger fish...

Thanks for your replies everyone..
I rang most of the LFS in my area to see what they had in stock & most had clowns & kuhli's ,but,nobody had yo-yo's .
I asked one store owner why & they said the last two orders of yo-yo's they had received had contained very small specimens & a lot of them hadn't survived the trip.
So, maybe I'll try a couple of clowns,see how they go & I can put them in a bigger tank,down the track (later on)when they outgrow this one.
Thanks...Ash

"if you're goin swimmin,watch out for the noahs"