What Kinds of Fish Live with Aquatic Snails?

Aquatic snails make for an unusual addition to the home aquarium. These often attractively colored mollusks are vegetarians and keep an aquarium clean by grazing on unwanted algae growths. Aquatic snails are not aggressive toward fish and can be housed in aquariums with peaceful tropical fish species, which do not bother them. As do fish species, aquatic snails also have specific requirements regarding water chemistry, which must be taken into consideration when choosing tank mates for them.

  1. Size

    • Non-territorial fish species, particularly those which swim mid-water or near the water surface, do not interfere with aquatic snails. Small tropical fishes, such as guppies, platys and mollies, feed on commercial flake food and do not interfere with aquatic snails. The various types of catfish, including the large plecostomus species, also show no interest in snails. Large predatory fish should not be kept with aquatic snails, while smaller territorial species, such as the various cichlid types, interfere with these mollusks and may injure them by biting off their tentacles. Apple snails, however, pull their tentacles in when approached by a fish.

    Diet

    • Vegetarian fish species make good tank mates for aquatic snails. These fishes, regardless of how large they are, feed on aquatic plants and algae and do not disturb any of the snail species. Vegetarian fish, however, compete with aquatic snails for the available algae, and aquarists must ensure that both snails and fish receive sufficient food. The diet of the fish and the snails can be supplemented with blanched spinach, if required.

    Behavior

    • Non-territorial fish are typically not aggressive toward other fish or invertebrate animals in their aquarium. These mild mannered, mid-water species have no interest in aquatic snails, which do not represent competition for them on any level. Tropical fresh water species, such as danios, tetras and swordtails, typically school and swim together in groups of their own kind and pay no attention to snails in the same aquarium.

    Water Requirements

    • Aquatic snails, such as the nerite snail, require water with a pH of 8.0. The elevated pH helps to keep the mollusk's shell hard. Nerite snails should be housed with fish that prefer an alkaline environment. This species of snail is found not only in fresh water, but in brackish and sea water as well and can be housed with peaceful, herbivorous marine fish. The species of aquatic snails that hobbyists choose to keep inhabit tropical waters and require temperatures between 72 and 79 degrees F. These snails are, therefore, best housed with tropical fish species.