A few months ago, I set-up a new 54-gallon planted tank and had numerous
snails that came along with the plants. A while after introducing some fish
in the tank, I noticed they were gone. I mainly have community fish - but
can only attribute the disappearance to my Black Knife Ghost.

Do you think the Black Knife is a good snail eater. The only other fish I
have are some Angels, Rainbows, Tetras, Flying Foxes and Corys.

Never saw the one I had do anything with snails, main reason I think is they
have very bad eyesight, and rely on a similar
"Boris" wrote in message
able.rogers.com...
A few months ago, I set-up a new 54-gallon planted tank and had numerous
snails that came along with the plants. A while after introducing some
fish
in the tank, I noticed they were gone. I mainly have community fish - but
can only attribute the disappearance to my Black Knife Ghost.

Do you think the Black Knife is a good snail eater. The only other fish I
have are some Angels, Rainbows, Tetras, Flying Foxes and Corys.

Do you think the Black Knife is a good snail eater. The only other fish
I have are some Angels, Rainbows, Tetras, Flying Foxes and Corys.



Flying Foxes do enjoy a snail or two from time to time. Best snail
removing fish are clown loaches. Get at least three of them (they
school and will not do well alone) and before ya know it all of your
snails will be gone.

Vicki

I know that one Clown Loach can live alone. I had 7 in a tank and
added another 29 gallon tank. Two in the original tank were always
together, so I put them in the 29 gal. Then I added a 10 gal tank,
again I had noticed a "loner" in my 75 gallon tank. I moved him and
some other fish to the 10 gallon. He seems very content and looks
larger and more colorful than the remaining Clowns in the 75 gal tank.
I know some of this is due to the lighting and size in the 10 gallon
enhancing my view of him, but I would say you can have a happy Clown
if you watch and look for the "loner." I think my loner feels like he
is king of the tank.



On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 00:12:47 -0400 (EDT), (~Vicki
~) wrote:

Do you think the Black Knife is a good snail eater. The only other fish
I have are some Angels, Rainbows, Tetras, Flying Foxes and Corys.



Flying Foxes do enjoy a snail or two from time to time. Best snail
removing fish are clown loaches. Get at least three of them (they
school and will not do well alone) and before ya know it all of your
snails will be gone.

Vicki

Dick wrote:
I know that one Clown Loach can live alone. I had 7 in a tank and

And a human can also live isolated from civilization. That doesn't mean
it's the best way to live.

enhancing my view of him, but I would say you can have a happy Clown
if you watch and look for the "loner." I think my loner feels like he
is king of the tank.

It's too bad we can't read the minds of fish, so we'll never know. Experience
tells us though, that social fish prefer to be in groups. That doesn't mean
they won't survive on their own.

Also, clown loaches get large, so people considering them should take this
into consideration.

--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

Hmm... yes, maybe it was the Flying Foxes... I've been wanting to get a
clown loach or botia but was concerned they might get agressive for what I
have in my tank.

"~Vicki ~" wrote in message
...
Do you think the Black Knife is a good snail eater. The only other fish
I have are some Angels, Rainbows, Tetras, Flying Foxes and Corys.



Flying Foxes do enjoy a snail or two from time to time. Best snail
removing fish are clown loaches. Get at least three of them (they
school and will not do well alone) and before ya know it all of your
snails will be gone.

Vicki

She didn't say they can't or won't, she said they don't do well... that is
true....

and I would venture a guess that your loner hates you for taking his friends
away... I have two, inseperable, and they try to school with similar sized
fish, but can't... why? because they are a social animal, liking to school,
play and interact with others of their kind...


"Dick" wrote in message
...
I know that one Clown Loach can live alone. I had 7 in a tank and
added another 29 gallon tank. Two in the original tank were always
together, so I put them in the 29 gal. Then I added a 10 gal tank,
again I had noticed a "loner" in my 75 gallon tank. I moved him and
some other fish to the 10 gallon. He seems very content and looks
larger and more colorful than the remaining Clowns in the 75 gal tank.
I know some of this is due to the lighting and size in the 10 gallon
enhancing my view of him, but I would say you can have a happy Clown
if you watch and look for the "loner." I think my loner feels like he
is king of the tank.



On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 00:12:47 -0400 (EDT), (~Vicki
~) wrote:

Do you think the Black Knife is a good snail eater. The only other fish
I have are some Angels, Rainbows, Tetras, Flying Foxes and Corys.



Flying Foxes do enjoy a snail or two from time to time. Best snail
removing fish are clown loaches. Get at least three of them (they
school and will not do well alone) and before ya know it all of your
snails will be gone.

Vicki

Boris wrote:
Hmm... yes, maybe it was the Flying Foxes... I've been wanting to get a
clown loach or botia but was concerned they might get agressive for what I
have in my tank.

Clown loaches are only aggresive towards snails...

--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

Okay, thank you, Victor.
cheers,
Boris
"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...
Boris wrote:
Hmm... yes, maybe it was the Flying Foxes... I've been wanting to get a
clown loach or botia but was concerned they might get agressive for what
I
have in my tank.

Clown loaches are only aggresive towards snails...

--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

Hmm... yes, maybe it was the Flying Foxes... I've been wanting to get a
clown loach or botia but was concerned they might get agressive for what
I
have in my tank.

Clown loaches are only aggresive towards snails...

but some botias are also nasty little boogers....

RedForeman ©® wrote:
but some botias are also nasty little boogers....

Absolutely. For more information check out loaches.com

--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

Also, clown loaches get large, so people considering them should take this
into consideration.

Agreed. There are smaller loaches that are just as attractive, just as good at
eating snails, and have just as much personality. Yoyo loaches, for example.
Unlike clowns, they stay small. And they don't eat plants or dig up your
carefully planted Lilaeopsis lawn...


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

LeighMo wrote:
eating snails, and have just as much personality. Yoyo loaches, for example.
Unlike clowns, they stay small. And they don't eat plants or dig up your
carefully planted Lilaeopsis lawn...

Another nice botia that stays small is Botia striata. IME it's a bit shy
compared to the yoyos and it does dig up small plants in fluorite.
http://loaches.com/species_pages/botia_striata.html

--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

Another nice botia that stays small is Botia striata. IME it's a bit shy
compared to the yoyos and it does dig up small plants in fluorite.
http://loaches.com/species_pages/botia_striata.html

I almost bought some of those. There were some in the tank with the yoyos, and
fish store guy couldn't tell the difference. I thought about buying them, too,
but I wasn't sure how aggressive they were. Not all loaches are as charming as
clowns and yoyos. Skunk botias are nasty...

Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

I am convinced that fish are unique as we are. My loaner plays with
the other fish. The unhappy fish I have seen stay by themselves,
often in the back of the tank, hidden if possible. This "loner" is up
front most of the time and interacts with the other fish. It acts
just as it did in the 75 gallon tank. It never seemed to go do things
with the "crowd." Same with the pair I put into the 29 gal.

If one has a chance to observe, I had 9 to start in the 75 gal, I
think one could find behavior that would show differences. I see them
all the time. It is one of the things I like about having more than
one tank. I can move the fish if there is a problem in one tank.

It works for me and my fish. I have an angelfish that I separated as
it was always being picked on by the other two, turned out they were
breeders. The loser became a winner in the second tank and rules the
roost, albeit as a bachelor. I am happy to see a fish under stress
find a better niche.


On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 09:56:40 -0400, "RedForeman ©®"
wrote:

She didn't say they can't or won't, she said they don't do well... that is
true....

and I would venture a guess that your loner hates you for taking his friends
away... I have two, inseperable, and they try to school with similar sized
fish, but can't... why? because they are a social animal, liking to school,
play and interact with others of their kind...


"Dick" wrote in message
.. .
I know that one Clown Loach can live alone. I had 7 in a tank and
added another 29 gallon tank. Two in the original tank were always
together, so I put them in the 29 gal. Then I added a 10 gal tank,
again I had noticed a "loner" in my 75 gallon tank. I moved him and
some other fish to the 10 gallon. He seems very content and looks
larger and more colorful than the remaining Clowns in the 75 gal tank.
I know some of this is due to the lighting and size in the 10 gallon
enhancing my view of him, but I would say you can have a happy Clown
if you watch and look for the "loner." I think my loner feels like he
is king of the tank.



On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 00:12:47 -0400 (EDT), (~Vicki
~) wrote:

Do you think the Black Knife is a good snail eater. The only other fish
I have are some Angels, Rainbows, Tetras, Flying Foxes and Corys.



Flying Foxes do enjoy a snail or two from time to time. Best snail
removing fish are clown loaches. Get at least three of them (they
school and will not do well alone) and before ya know it all of your
snails will be gone.

Vicki