Keeping unwanted snails under control in an aquarium can be frustrating for many aquarists.
While chemicals and traps have their place, using fish that will eat these pesky pests can be an easy and natural way to manage them.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the best fish species to add to your freshwater or saltwater tank if you want help keeping snails under control.
We’ll talk about what makes them good snail eaters, what tanks they need, and how they’ll fit in with other tank mates.
Freshwater Fish That Eat Snails
Let’s start with some great options for the popular choice: freshwater tanks,
Clown Loach

One of the most popular snail-eating fish is the clown loach.
These slender fish have an insatiable appetite for snails and will actively hunt them down and crunch through their shells with specialized teeth.
They can grow quite large, though, often over a foot long. You’ll need a big tank, 100 gallons or more, to house a small group of them.

Clown loaches are very social and do best with 5-6 of their own kind.
Despite their size, they are peaceful and make a great addition to large community tanks.
Yoyo Loach

For those with more modestly sized tanks, the yoyo loach is a smaller relative of the clown loach.
They max out around 5 inches long but still possess the same snail-crunching abilities.
A 30-gallon tank can easily house a small group of 5 or 6 yoyo loaches.
They are active bottom dwellers who appreciate exploring plants, caves, and driftwood.
Yoyo loaches get along well with most community fish but may nip fins if not kept in proper schools.
Puffer Fish

Both freshwater and saltwater puffer fish are well known as voracious snail eaters.
Their unique beak-like teeth are designed to crack open hard-shelled prey like snails.
In fact, they need to eat snails regularly to wear down their continuously growing teeth.
Of the freshwater varieties, dwarf puffers are one of the most popular. At only an inch long, they can’t tackle large snails but will quickly destroy small pest snails.

Despite their small size, puffers need species-only tanks as they are very aggressive.
A heavily planted 10-gallon tank is perfect for a single dwarf puffer or a mated pair.
Provide plenty of small pest snails, and they will thrive.
Larger freshwater puffers like the green spotted puffer require brackish water as adults but are unmatched in their ability to control snails.
Be cautious with the very nippy green spotted puffers and house them alone.
Assassin Snails

Though not a fish, I find assassin snails an effective solution in my freshwater tanks to prey on other unwanted pest snails.
They seem very docile, slowly moving along, cleaning up excess food and algae.
But they will also actively hunt down and consume small pest snails if they can catch them!
Assassins multiply much slower than nuisance snails, and a few can really knock down populations in smaller tanks from 5 to 30 gallons.
They won’t completely eliminate all snails, though, and are a better temporary fix combined with manual removal.
Assassins are very peaceful and make interesting additions to community tanks.
Saltwater Fish That Eat Snails
Saltwater tanks have fewer fish that routinely eat snails, but here are a couple of interesting options:
Copperband Butterflyfish

The ornately patterned copperband butterfly is one of the few saltwater fish that eat snails with zeal.
Their long snout allows them to root out snails hiding in rock crevices and suck them right out of their shell.
Copperbands need large established tanks as they are sensitive to water quality changes.
Despite their butterfly name, they are generally peaceful towards other fish and invertebrates.
However, they may nip at coral polyps and other sessile invertebrates.
Don’t mix copperbands with shy, small fish or ornamental shrimp that may become an easy meal.
Tangs

Many surgeonfish and tangs will eat small snails when they happen upon them while grazing for algae.
However, the various blenny species in the Salarias genus, like the lawnmower blenny, actively seek out small snails to eat.
They poke their long face into tight spaces, searching for hidden snails.
Keep in mind, as omnivores, snails are only part of their diet.
Offer supplemental meaty foods like mysis shrimp or frozen spirulina to keep them well-fed.
Providing adequate algae and avoiding overcrowding is key to keeping salarias blennies happy and healthy.
Final Thoughts
Whatever fish you add, just make sure they are appropriate for your tank size, water parameters, and existing livestock.
A snail-eating fish may solve one problem but create another if it is not studied thoroughly!
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