If you can find them, try horsehead loaches. They are long, mine are about
4", but so skinny one probably masses less than an oto. I have two and, so
far as I can tell, they exist 100% on snail eggs. And they're REAL cool
looking.

linda mar wrote in message
...
hi,

unfortunately, given what I plan to get for the tank, I dont' think I'll
have room for snail eater unless one exists that is about 1" long! :-P

thanks!
linda

"Christopher" wrote in message
ink.net...
I find that getting nature to control nature works best.
In this case get something to eat snails, that way they can hatch all
they
want but their numbers will be kept very small to non-existent. My
personal
favorite is a topaz puffer but that might be too aggressive/big for your
tank, most puffers like snails, there are also loaches and I have heard
some
crustaceans like them as well...

"linda mar" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

yesterday, during my weekly tank maintenance, I saw a glob of snail
eggs
on
my *tiny* newly sprouting crypt leaf.

since this particular crypt took a while to start producing leaves
(was
suffering for a bit since it was too small), I didn't want to do what
I
usually do with snail eggs.. just chop the green stuff that the eggs
are
attached to it and throw it away.

I've tried pulling it off of the leaf, but it was so glued on, I
coudln't
do
it without pulling out the plant from the gravel (it's a very small
baby
plant).. so I ended up snipping the poor thing. it had two small
sprouting
leaves, now it only has one :-( and no other leaves (I hope this baby
survives!)

So, I was wondering, are there any other way to mechanically get rid
of
the
snail eggs without sacrificing plant leaves or using chemicals? if
the
eggs
were on some fast-growing stuff, or bushy plants, I probably would not
have
minded, but in this instance, it was painful to pinch what little
green
that poor little plant had...

any insight is appreciated..

Linda