Re: Snail eaters

[Brown_D at pcfnotes1_wustl.edu]

I put a group of zebra loaches (botia striata) into a tank with a few
snails and they cleaned out every one of them at first, but lately I see a
few larger snails that survived, which is how I'd like it to stay.  They
aren't supposed to get beyond 4 inches or so long, and they haven't
disturbed my fluorite substrate much at all.  I don't see too much of them
except at mealtimes and at "dusk" (half the lights on for an hour before
dark), because they like their logs too much.  That's the only bad thing I
can think of to say about them....that they're quite shy.  They seem to be
spooked quite easily by my weekly gardening sessions and especially by the
occasional Endler roundup....  But they do a nice job keeping snails down
but not absolutely out.


Diane Brown