Will smaller loaches eat nerite snails?

[BlueRaccoon]

I have zebra loaches. Will they eat my nerites? I don't see how they would. Their mouths are so small compared to my big nerites. I can see them harassing, but eating.....? I see mixed things online. I haven't seen an confirmation that they will, but people just being cautious. Thoughts?

 

[Ghelfaire]

Probably not, they might eat pest snails like MTS or bladder snails

 

[BlueRaccoon]

Probably not, they might eat pest snails like MTS or bladder snails

Thanks. They have been in the tank for a few hours, and there are bladder snails shells everywhere......I knew they would eat them, but I never thought it would be so fast.

 

[tinylostwine]

zebra loaches might; the way i've seen loaches eat mystery-snails i feed them is harass it until they die then suck them out of the shell. I would imagine the zebra loach would try the same tactic with nerite but i've never tested it.

 

[BlueRaccoon]

zebra loaches might; the way i've seen loaches eat mystery-snails i feed them is harass it until they die then suck them out of the shell. I would imagine the zebra loach would try the same tactic with nerite but i've never tested it.

Thanks. I feel like the nerites aren't moving as much as usual. I'm going to move a couple out to my Betta tank, and the rest I will rehome. I don't feel right letting them be harassed to death.

 

[ReproachfulLoach]

Finger-sized (index to pinky) clowns eventually ate everyone, including beautiful huge nerites that I thought were too big for them. Idk how they did it, probably as a joint effort.