# Shrimp and snails



## BettaObsessed (Mar 8, 2015)

So, I am going to be naturally planting my fish tank in about a week. It is a sixty gallon divided into 4 sections. Initially, planting will be a bit sparse, to allow things to grow in. I'm looking for shrimp that my bettas will leave alone and snails that won't overpopulate overnight. The four bettas I have are pretty moderately tempered. I would hate to put shrimp in and have them slaughtered. Are there any species of shrimp that are too big for the bettas to fit in their mouths or have great camouflage? Onto the snails, is there anything that will dig through the soil and will not overrun my tank? Thank you in advance.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

Hi IMO snails are an important addition to the tank.



> I'm looking for shrimp that my bettas will leave alone
> I would hate to put shrimp in and have them slaughtered.


It depends on the Betta, Some will leave shrimp and other tank mates alone, some will hunt them down without mercy.



> Onto the snails, is there anything that will dig through the soil and will not overrun my tank?


That would depend on the amount of food in the tank.
My tanks have MTS in them and I love them, When there are too many MTS in my Betta tank I just scoop them up and put them in the 6 footer, Where my clown loaches love them.



> *Malaysian Trumpet Snail *​ _Melanoides tuberculata_​ By: Ryan Wood​ The Malaysian Trumpet Snail is a great to have in any aquarium. There are some with different patterns, shapes, size, dark or light colored. It is a beautiful snail to see up close in person. In some forums as well as blogs the Malaysion Trumpet Snail is instead used as the acronym MTS.​ There is a lot of bad rep that all snails have received. A lot of hobbyists tend to think that having any type of snail in their aquarium is horrible and all must be removed immediately. There are even chemicals that are solely meant for killing snails in the aquarium. I highly recommend that you never use any chemical meant to kill snails in a tank with shrimp. Snails are not bad for your aquarium. Overfeeding your tank is what causes snail outbreaks. Most snails will actually leave your plants alone and instead eat the algae off of the leaves as well as glass. Do not think that a snail is a pest, they can be extremely useful in any aquarium.​ The Malaysian Trumpet Snail is actually a benefit to any aquarium for several reasons. It will not eat your plants at all. This snail also will not "muscle" your shrimp off of food meant for the shrimp. The Malaysian Trumpet Snail feeds on detritus and leftover food that is underneath the substrate. It actually burrows in the substrate and moves around throughout. You will rarely see this snail during the day. Occasionally it will emerge from the substrate. A cool thing is that sometimes you will see the substrate move and you will know that there is a Malaysian Trumpet Snail underneath doing its cleaning duties.​ The fact that this snail burrows and eats detritus is an excellent perk to having it. Another great perk is that while it is underneath the substrate moving it is at the same time aerating the substrate. Substrate aeration is a great benefit to planted aquariums as it promotes air exchange and root growth. They will not disturbed any plant roots or move wood/rocks around your aquarium.​ The Malaysian Trumpet Snail reproduces live young and does not lay eggs. They can reproduce rapidly however. Rapid reproduction is a sign that you either need to feed your inhabitants less or vacuum the gravel extensively. You do not want to rely on this snail to do all of the gravel cleaning. High temperatures can also result in rapid reproduction if coupled with overfeeding.​ This snail is an all around must have for most aquariums. They are very cool to look at, extremely docile, do not eat plants, aerate substrate, eat detritus, and do not harm other inhabitants. I highly recommend this snail to anyone.​





> Author Byron Hoskins
> *Bacteria in the Freshwater Aquarium*
> 
> 
> ...


*Read more here* http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/member-submitted-articles/bacteria-freshwater-aquarium-74891/

.


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## Talaitha (Jan 24, 2016)

My male, who ate someone else's neons before I ended up with him, does fine with amano shrimp as they are larger. I also have mystery, rabbit and pond snails which he rarely bothers or even seems to notice.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

When I was researching possible snails for my own tank I ran across black devil snails.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Devil-Snails-Fanus-ater/dp/B00NMVBK9Y

From the little research I've done, I've learned that they're a relative of Malaysian Trumpet Snails that breed in brackish water so you don't have to worry about them overrunning your tank. I have no experience with the breed, myself, as I'm waiting for warmer weather before I finalize my plans on what to buy, but they sound like a good alternative to MTS if you want something that won't breed like crazy in freshwater.


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## BettaObsessed (Mar 8, 2015)

Thanks so much everyone! I really appreciate it, I'm so excited!!


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## VeeDubs (Dec 17, 2015)

I thought my bettas weren't too aggresive, but it's not how aggressive they are, it's what their prey drive is. Killing for food and killing for territory or instinct are different things. Being carnivores, they have a prey drive. I had a cherry shrimp in my tank, my fish left it alone, I got 10 more, and they were all dead in less than week except for one. He also swims away and hide when I show him a mirror. That was a $30 experiment, since I got some fancy cherry shrimps. I tried with my other fish with Amano shrimps since they're bigger. They're not dead yet, but I never see them cause they just hide, because he keeps chasing them, I wanted to get ride of a ghost shrimp, but didn't want to kill it so, I put it with my second fish, couple hours later I saw ghost shrimp head on the substrate.
I don't suggest it, but if you must try, go with larger ghost shrimp. If they all last a few weeks, then get something nicer like amanos.
Bettas don't need company, I only wanted shrimp cause I wanted shrimp and a good clean up crew. I set up a shrimp tank instead, and much happier with that. 
Haven't bothered with snails, just cause I don't want some nasty snail crawling around my tank.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

Some Betta tolerate tank mates some don't, When considering tank mates for a Betta be prepared to rehouse them as soon as you see stalking behavior, Because in as little as 1 hour it could be too late. 



> My male, who ate someone else's neons before I ended up with him


I had a female who killed Rasboras and was attacking Corys.

I notice my new boy already hunting the baby shrimp and flaring at my Kuhlis, Time will tell if thats a problem.


The shrimp in my Betta tank are Betta food, And Kuhli Loach food if they can catch them,



> From the little research I've done, I've learned that they're a relative of Malaysian Trumpet Snails that breed in brackish water so you don't have to worry about them overrunning your tank


Over Run? I have 5 Clown Loaches, there is no such thing as over run with snails, They love the fresh snails.


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## hellobird (Nov 11, 2015)

OP might not have a tank full of clown loaches like you, Nick! So devil snails may be a good alternative for them. Although I know I would love a 6footer with clown loaches, I have a feeling I'm going to turn the entire house into an aquarium after I move..

But yes, MTS are really a blessing in disguise. I've had them in my planted tank since I set it up (so ~3 months), and while there are quite a few in there, I'm definitely not overrun, it all depends on how much food they can get.


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## VillagerSparky (Dec 1, 2015)

I thought MTS snails were live bearers, so I don't think they need brackish water to breed.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

VillagerSparky said:


> I thought MTS snails were live bearers, so I don't think they need brackish water to breed.


MTS are live bearers and easily give birth in fresh water, but the snail I suggested are called Black Devil Snails. While they're a relative of MTS and inhabit a similar roll in a freshwater aquarium, they require brackish water to successfully produce young. Basically, Black Devil Snails are MTS without all the babies.

Edit: Personally, I'd probably prefer MTS for my own tanks because I'd like to have a self-propagating clean-up crew. =P But OP was worried about snails overrunning her tank, so I thought I'd mention Black Devil Snails as an alternative to eliminate the risk of a snail like MTS breeding too much.


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## VillagerSparky (Dec 1, 2015)

Oh I see, that makes more sense to me, lol.


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## christinamac (Jan 2, 2016)

Nerite snails are great too! They almost exclusively eat algae. It's actually kind of difficult to get them to eat anything else. They breed in brackish water so they won't overrun your tank.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Fanus ater (Black Devil Snails) should not be kept in a planted tank. Note the caveat in the listing on Amazon. They are also quite large; maturing at 2"-3".


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## BettaObsessed (Mar 8, 2015)

Thanks everyone. It looks like I will be settling with MTS anyway then.


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## Bettajungle (Feb 3, 2016)

Yup. I got 7cherry shrimp and i can only find 3. This is after one night! They're so cool so I'm going to set them up their own tank and control their population by giving some to the betta periodically..gotta buy more cherry shrimp tho


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