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Old 20-04-2003, 07:11 AM
kush
 
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Default Are pond snails trouble for a planted tank?

Another option is Botia Lohachata (Yo-Yo Loach). Doesn't get quite as
big, about 4". Some people report that this fish can be quarrelsome, both
among each other and with other species. (But I have seen community
tanks with Botia Lohachata, together with small peaceful fish, such as
Iriatherina Werneri, Cardinal Tetra, and rainbows, so keeping these in
a community tank is possible at least for some people.)

I have Botia Lohachata in a 20-gallon community tank. They are pure murder
on snails. I pick them out of other tanks and drop them in with the botias,
their life expectancy is mere seconds. Another (dubious) plus is that I've
never had to remove a dead fish from the tank - actually, I don't think I've
ever had the opportunity.

That said, never put botias in a tank where you'll be trying to get new
plants, particularly cuttings, established, or anything else that you don't
want to see floating at the surface later in the day. They dig, prod, and
probe incessantly. Don't count on being able to catch the botia and remove
it later. Anyone who's ever had a loach or botia in a planted tank knows
what I mean.