Snail or Shrimp?

[Shika]

I'm looking to get something to clean algae in my 20 gallon high community tank. It has a betta (who's been super chill so far) and 6 ember tetras. I plan to eventually add in 5-6 small corys of some sort. My tank currently has only a few plants in it, but I'm going to get more when the weather warms up a bit more predictably and mailing them won't possibly kill them.

I've never had either snails or shrimp before, and I'm just not sure which would be better. I know nerites lay eggs all over the place and shrimp need more plants than I currently have in the tank, and both come with their own issues; I just don't know if one would be better suited for community tank life over the other.

I guess I'm just asking for a few pros/cons for nerites and shrimp? Does it ultimately matter which I get? (Also, I have a sponge filter, which I know is important for shrimp, so I'm not worried about that!)

 

[kallililly1973]

In a 20 tall you could do a couple nerites and 4-6 Amano shrimp

 

[CoryBoi]

Snails are way easier to care for then shrimp. I love Ramshorn snails because they come in several colors and don’t multiply as agressively as other pest snail.

 

[richiep]

It's easier to maintain and clean nerites eggs, it will probably be expensive to to keep putting shrimp in that will probably get eaten

 

[Sprinkle]

It's easier to maintain and clean nerites eggs, it will probably be expensive to to keep putting shrimp in that will probably get eaten

And snails can hide in their shells..

 

[phnx314]

Mystery snails are personally my favorite, they are imo the best for community tanks but I do think nerites are a little more efficient with algae

 

[CoryBoi]

I hate Mystery snails because:
they eat plants
they have a very high bioload
they really don’t eat that much algae
And they breed like mad

Mystery snails are personally my favorite, they are imo the best for community tanks but I do think nerites are a little more efficient with algae

 

[Sprinkle]

I hate Mystery snails because:
they eat plants
they have a very high bioload
they really don’t eat that much algae
And they breed like mad

Oooh! I did not know that :/

 

[Shika]

Thank you, everyone! I'll probably go with a nerite snail - maybe some day I'll try shrimp! - and work with the eggs!

 

[phnx314]

I hate Mystery snails because:
they eat plants
they have a very high bioload
they really don’t eat that much algae
And they breed like mad

Those aren’t mystery snails, those are apple snails. Sometimes they’re sold as mystery snails though. Mystery snails will not eat plants if fed properly, and if they do breed the eggs won’t hatch without incubation.

 

[biospherical]

I'm looking to get something to clean algae in my 20 gallon high community tank. It has a betta (who's been super chill so far) and 6 ember tetras. I plan to eventually add in 5-6 small corys of some sort. My tank currently has only a few plants in it, but I'm going to get more when the weather warms up a bit more predictably and mailing them won't possibly kill them.

I've never had either snails or shrimp before, and I'm just not sure which would be better. I know nerites lay eggs all over the place and shrimp need more plants than I currently have in the tank, and both come with their own issues; I just don't know if one would be better suited for community tank life over the other.

I guess I'm just asking for a few pros/cons for nerites and shrimp? Does it ultimately matter which I get? (Also, I have a sponge filter, which I know is important for shrimp, so I'm not worried about that!)

I’d go with nerite snails all the way! They clean my tank super well and mine doesn’t even lay eggs!

 

[Shika]

I’d go with nerite snails all the way! They clean my tank super well and mine doesn’t even lay eggs!

I picked one up about a week or so ago, and he's (or she, who knows) been doing a great job!