Do Snails Cat Fish Poop - Everything You Need To Know
Do Snails Cat Fish Poop - Everything You Need To Know
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Do Snails Cat Fish Poop
There are several organisms in the water that are involved in the cleaning of the water. They help maintain the environment clean by eating different sorts of wastes. One of the most basic waste is the poop of the fish. If you have a fish tank, you must have information about the organisms that can eat waste. One of the most famous organisms that can eat fish poop or other waste is the snail. It can eat the algae, discarded food, and fish waste.
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Types of the snails that eat poop
There are several types of snails that eat poop. Following are some of them.
- Trumpet snails
Trumpet snails are also known as Malaysian trumpet snails. These have cone shapes. These snails are excellent eaters that will cause their population bursts in the aquarium.
- Nerite snails
These snails keep your aquarium and rocks clean by eating not only wastes but also algae.
- Golden apple snails
Golden apple snails are freshwater snails that come in golden yellow to brownish shell color. Their shells have an oval shape that accommodate a soft body. These species can be very detrimental if they are introduced in non native areas. They will eat even the plants and damage the habitats.
- Ramshorn snails
Ramshorn Snails have colorful shells and have scavenging abilities. They eat everything that is organic in nature. They have a special feature known as radula that helps in gazing the algae and other food particles from the detritus, and dead plant materials. These snails are kept in the aquarium to keep it clean from the fish poop and other waste materials.
- Mystery snails
These are also known as apple snails. They live in the freshwater. They are also famous for their scavenging behavior and striking appearance. The food of these snails include the algae, decaying plant matter, leftover fish food and fish waste such as poop.
Mystery snails ingest the fish waste and break them down into the small particles. They consume the useful nutrients from this waste.
- Assassin snails
Assassin snails are kept in the aquarists for pest and waste control. Like other snails, they also intake organic matter including the waste of the fish. These snails are also known as opportunistic feeders as they can eat anything that has organic nutrients.
Due to the scavenging qualities, these fish can increase their population at a very faster rate. So one must keep an eye upon their population in the aquarium.
- Japanese trapdoor snails
These snails are found in Japan and China. These are famous for their conical shell with a trapdoor operculum. These are found in freshwater bodies such as ponds, lakes, streams and marshes. They are excellent eaters and prefer the dense vegetation and muddy areas for more food particles.
As they are nocturnal organisms, they spend most of their night time in grazing the algae and other food particles from the waste of fish or other organisms.
- Pond snails
Pond snails are included in the opportunistic feeders that can eat a wide range of food types. Their food includes plant matter, biofilm, organic debris, fish waste, or other organic particles. These snails ingest the waste particles and extract the nutrients from it. In this way, they play a very crucial role in the waste management system of the tank or aquarium.
Waste management systems
Even snails and some fish are playing roles in waste management systems, you need to incorporate a number of other waste management strategies. These include the filtration, regular water changes, removing algae and other wastes regularly from the water. Moreover, feeding only enough food that all the fish consume at the same time can minimize waste production. Report this page