

Most knowledgeable aquarists will tell you the same thing- keep loaches away from pet snails. They might suck up small snails entirely, but they’ll usually spit the broken shell out while chewing. Sometimes, Yoyo loaches will crush the shell of larger snails for easier feeding. They’ll leave the carapaces behind, so you’ll have to remove these yourself. Loaches will only eat the soft bits by sucking the snail out of its home. They can’t suck up the shells of large snails and have no teeth in their mouths to bite into the shells. Loaches are also quite small, measuring up to 2.5 inches when fully grown. The shells are made of calcium carbonate, which is hard to digest for most fish. Yoyo Loaches don’t typically eat snail shells. They won’t hold back from an all-snail buffet! Are you intrigued yet? Keep reading to learn more about yoyo loaches and their snail-eating habits! Will Yoyo Loaches Eat Snail Shells? These teeth allow loaches to grab onto, pull, and eat snails whole straight out of the shell.įinally, loaches have big appetites and aren’t picky eaters. Yoyo loaches don’t bite into food, but they have a pair of large, powerful teeth in their throats. Secondly, loaches have a unique eating style that makes them suited for eating snails. As scavengers, loaches dig through the substrate, finding hidden snails or eggs that other fish will miss. They spend most of their time where the snails are most likely to be. First of all, loaches are bottom-dwellers. There are a few things that make them excellent for pest control. Not all fish partake in the delicacy of snails, but loaches are among the best-known snail eaters in the aquarium hobby. Furthermore, Yoyo loaches are friendly and compatible with most freshwater fish, which makes them a great addition to community tanks. Yoyo loaches are excellent cleaning fish that take care of all unwanted pests, detritus, and leftovers in the aquarium. Luckily, there’s an easy way to get rid of them- the Yoyo loach! But it only takes one contaminated plant to get your aquarium overrun by snails.
#Zebra loach and snails free#
So far, all the plants, rocks, and driftwood you got in your tank might have been free of hitchhikers. The worst part is that you’ll get them when you least expect it. These pests are a nuisance because they breed like rabbits, destroy aquarium plants, and burden the biological filtration in the tank. Snails are the bane of every aquarist’s existence.
