Betta Attacking Snails

I just got a betta fish on Tuesday. It’s in a 10 gallon tank with 3 nerite snails that I added a few days before I got the betta. The betta seem fine with the snails at first but tonight I saw the betta attacking one of the snails. Now I’m going to have to move the snails into a different tank. What size tank can I put 3 nerite snails?

 

Ok honestly for the snails half a gallon to 1 gallon is perfect. Also do you know what the Nitrogen Cycle is? Is your tank cycled? Well... is your betta the only fish in the tank? Or are there any other inhabitants? You say that your betta attacked one... did your betta peck at the snail or what did your Betta do to it?

 

Ok honestly for the snails half a gallon to 1 gallon is perfect. Also do you know what the Nitrogen Cycle is? Is your tank cycled? Well... is your betta the only fish in the tank? Or are there any other inhabitants?

My tank is cycled. My betta fish is the only fish in the 10 gallon tank.

Would nerite snails need a heater in a separate tank?

 

Ok great I was worried that if you had any fish in the tank that they might be your bettas next meal lol. For the Nerites make sure that the small tank has a small heater and a small filter

Yes

Would nerite snails need a heater in a separate tank?

they would since they are a tropical species.

 

Ok great I was worried that if you had any fish in the tank that they might be your bettas next meal lol. For the Nerites make sure that the small tank has a small heater and a small filter

Let’s say I got a one gallon tank, how often would I have to change the water?

 

Not to often I’d say maybe every 8-10 days as long as you don’t over feed with wafers. I’d only drop 1 and a half of a wafer in the tank every 3 days

 

I wouldn't be too quick about removing them. Nerites are well armored and protected unless they get turned on their backs. The chances are that the Betta will get tired of pecking at something he can't eat and will leave them alone. I've never heard of a Nerite being killed by a Betta.

 

I wouldn't be too quick about removing them. Nerites are well armored and protected unless they get turned on their backs. The chances are that the Betta will get tired of pecking at something he can't eat and will leave them alone. I've never heard of a Nerite being killed by a Betta.

I agree that’s why I asked exactly what the Betta did to the snail but no response but that’s ok. If the betta only pecked at him once, your betta should get bored and move on

 

Bettas can bite of their eyes or other fleshy parts before the snail could retract.

I agree that’s why I asked exactly what the Betta did to the snail but no response but that’s ok. If the betta only pecked at him once, your betta should get bored and move on

 

Nerite snails have antenna, but...Yeah, I agree with dch48. I have those types of nerites in a 75 gal with S/A cichlids. one of which is an oscar. You're fine to leave your snails with the betta.

Ive also got nerites in a tank with tiger loaches. You're really fine, the betta shouldnt hurt them.

 

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I agree that’s why I asked exactly what the Betta did to the snail but no response but that’s ok. If the betta only pecked at him once, your betta should get bored and move on

The betta kept stalking the snail and then charged at it and tried to bite it. I’m not sure if the betta did it again.

I wouldn't be too quick about removing them. Nerites are well armored and protected unless they get turned on their backs. The chances are that the Betta will get tired of pecking at something he can't eat and will leave them alone. I've never heard of a Nerite being killed by a Betta.

That’s good to know.

 

I was taking care of this one betta who I found to be a snurderer (snail murderer). He killed several species of snails (granted they we're pretty small and had their heads extended out of their shell, unlike nerites). I ended up putting in a nerite for him, and for the first few days he would follow it very closely around the tank and occasionally try to bite it. It's been well over a month since I put the nerite in, and now the betta doesn't bother him at all. Also the nerite has full antennae.

 

I have an incredibly peaceful betta. He doesn't bother shrimp or snail, except one particular snail. He hates that guy. He flares at him anytime he's on the glass and doesn't stop until he gets down. I've never seen him attack though.

 

It’s weird because my betta doesn’t flare at all. It’s almost like he can’t. Ever since I got him he’s been very hyper because he can see his reflection in the tank. I need to put a vinyl background to prevent him from seeing his reflection. I don’t want him to stay stressed for too long

I was taking care of this one betta who I found to be a snurderer (snail murderer)

I'm changing my betta name to Snurderer if he kills the snails.

 

Awww looks like you got a betta that doesn't tolerate any tank mates. It happens sometimes.

I've seen a betta bite off a nerite's antenna before. I would not keep nerites with this betta. I would just let this betta live alone.

 

Awww looks like you got a betta that doesn't tolerate any tank mates. It happens sometimes.

I've seen a betta bite off a nerite's antenna before. I would not keep nerites with this betta. I would just let this betta live alone.

And to think that I was going to add ghost shrimp to the tank lol

 

Well it can be good to add some variety to their diet they are carnivores after all......

 

Well it can be good to add some variety to their diet they are carnivores after all......

If I ever have to on vacation for than 5 days, I can just add some ghost shrimp in the tank lol

 

Snail's antenna grow back. It's not a fatal wound and they really don't need to have them always extended. Bettas are much more likely to hurt Mystery snails because a Mystery exposes it's head while foraging or digging and it can lose not only it's antenna but it's eyes can also get bitten off. My Betta seems to like Mystery snails though. He follows them around and even sometimes wraps himself around the shell. The only time Benny has been aggressive towards my Nerite was when it was nearing the top of the tank while he was blowing bubbles against the side of the filter box. He completely flared his gills and fins and even pecked at it a few times. He's back to totally ignoring it now.

 

Are you going to keep the snails in the 10-gallon or move them?

 

Nerites are hardy little guys. One took a ride out of the tank on a piece of decor when I did a water change and I didn't see it in there until after I was done with the water change and I saw it crawling around my sink! I was super worried about it but I plopped it back into the tank and it immediately started crawling around again. *whew*

 

My little nerite loves to explore in fact I found him hanging upside down on the tank lid he also got in my filter right now he's in my tower if you want to know more you can see his thread although it has more about my betta then him

 

Are you going to keep the snails in the 10-gallon or move them?

I haven’t decided yet. But I’m going to Petco today so I might buy a small tank anyway.

 

I haven’t decided yet. But I’m going to Petco today so I might buy a small tank anyway.

All right. Let us know.

 

Yeah I'd keep the snails in. My betta bit off both of my snail's antennas but they're growing back. He has like zero issues with the tiger nerite, it's the zebra he gets into flaring fits at sometimes lol.
My old betta acted like he didn't even know the nerites were there.

 

All right. Let us know.

I ended up not getting a new tank. I got 4 marimo balls and more Java moss.

 

I ended up not getting a new tank. I got 4 marimo balls and more Java moss.

All right. That’s fine. I would personally just keep the nerites with the betta and see what happens.

 

Bettas can bite of their eyes or other fleshy parts before the snail could retract.

Not a Nerite, their eyes are well protected.

 

My betta, Chewbacca, will attack anything I place in his tank. I have a mystery snail and ramshorn snails in with him. I think Chewy investigates them for the first 24 hours and then figures out his bloodworms are better tasting and easier to eat. He hasn’t messed with the snails in a long time, although he’s probably eating their eggs and hatchlings.

 

Nerite doing his job. There was some brown film algae on the front of the filter box but, as you can see, it's gone now

You also can see that I keep the filter outlet submerged but that's another topic.

 

I think my snails might be sick. I keep finding the Tiger nerite snail on it side and the zebra snail hasn’t moved in 4 days.

I just changed the water. Ammonia is at 0 ppm, nitrite is at 0 ppm and nitrate is at 5 ppm.

I haven’t put any algae wafers because I have some algae in the tank that left intentionally for them to eat but I wonder if they’re starving....I know the tiger nerite snail might be hurt because when I was putting it the tank I accidently dropped it into the tank instead placing it gently but I don’t know what’s going with the tiger snail.

The tank doesn’t stink, so I know the snails are still alive



This what the tiger nerite snail looks like:


I just moved the zebra nerite to the rock so it can eat more algae.

 

Sorry this isn't going great for you. I don't think they're starving, if there's algae they should be good. Let's see if someone else has a better answer, sorry

 

What products have you used in the past week?

 

What products have you used in the past week?

I may have added some seachem stresscoat for my fish but the two snails were not okay before adding the stress coat.

 

Has the tank ever been medicated? If so, with what?

 

I may have added some seachem stresscoat for my fish but the two snails were not okay before adding the stress coat.

Hmm... I'm honestly thinking copper. Can you test your tap for copper?

 

HI y’all, it’s been a while but I decided to get my Betta George a nice little horned nerite for the algae. I just put it in, and George has taken to swimming around for a bit, then biting the snail, and repeating this every few minutes. Should I take the snail out? I have an assassin snail in my community tank. I could move the nerite there but will the assassin kill it?

Thanks in advance!

 

Bettas do chase snails sometimes, but they usually won’t do any damage to a nerite, but they can bite off a mystery snail antennae.
I think the assassin would kill the nerite.

 

Bettas do chase snails sometimes, but they usually won’t do any damage to a nerite, but they can bite off a mystery snail antennae.
I think the assassin would kill the nerite.

the nerite made its way to the glass and George keeps pecking at it, but it isn’t doing anything. Will it be okay in there with him? Really don’t want to put the nerite with the assassin

 

I have a sassy female betta who chases my pond snails and nerites all the time. The most she'll do is peck at them and they just fall to the substrate. Then go about their business. The nerites I have are too big for her to hurt them. But she'll follow them for several minutes and swim away.
so basically I don't think your betta will do much damage