Do Cory Catfish Eat Snails?

Cory catfish is a non aggressive, calm and peaceful fish. They are very easy to care for. They are bottom feeder fish.

If you think about keeping your snails and Cory catfish in the same tank a common question will come to mind, do Cory catfish eat snails?

No, Cory catfish do not eat snails. Because their mouths are too small compared to the snail size. Though they can eat dead and baby snails.

However if you keep some Cory catfish in your tank and monitor them closely you will understand their eating habits.

But here you will get the information about Cory catfish relation with snails and what they actually eat along with how to coexist your snail and Cory in the tank.

Do Cory Catfish Eat Snails?

Corydoras catfish, also known as cory cats or corys, are a group of freshwater fish that are commonly kept in aquariums.

They are known for their peaceful nature and bottom-dwelling habits.

Cory catfish are small size fish, they do not eat snails. But when you are searching it on the internet maybe you will find that some aquarists claim that Cory eat snails.

After reading the below reasons you will easily understand that Cory do not eat snails.

They Are Peaceful

Cory catfish known as peaceful and clam fish. They have no aggressive behavior and do not attack their tank mates.

They are just like the snails, as both are bottom feeders. Both search for food at the bottom of the tank and avoid fighting to get food.

Tiny Mouth

Aquarists can keep snails with the Cory fish without any tension. Because they are not able to eat snails but have suckers to eat food.

As well as their mouth is very small to hold and eat snails. Also snails have a strong shell to protect themselves from any predators which is another obstacle for Cory to eat snails.

Small in Size

A large size creature can not be a food for other creatures for their size. Also a small creature can be a food source for a large creature.

So the main thing is that size matters for animals to make anyone food or predator.

As Cory catfish are small and they can grow 1 to 4 inches. But most of the Cory fish can grow 2 inches. Whether the snail is big enough compared to this freshwater fish.

Hence Cory can not be a threat for your aquarium snail.

Do Cory Catfish Eat Snail Eggs?

Yes, it can eat snail eggs but not all types of snail eggs. Normally they eat tiny snail species eggs as it is soft and small as well as easy to eat.

They eat eggs because the eggs are nutritious for the fish and they are not selective about their food.

Whether they can not eat large snail eggs such as nerite snail and mystery snail eggs.

Because they lay their eggs in the water line as well as it is very hard and large which Cory catfish can not eat.

Will Corydoras Eat Dead Snails?

Yes it will eat the dead snails but it depends on the time duration when the snail died. Your catfish will not eat the newly died snail.

Because it is still fresh and the main part of the snail is not out of the shell.

So if you keep your dead snail in your aquarium for a long time, its shell will break down and the meat will come out of its shell. At this time corydoras can eat the dead snail.

But sometimes it can be dangerous for your aquarium. Because it will spike the ammonia which is not good for your fish.

As well as your catfish may eat the snail a little bit or may avoid it. So you should remove the dead snail from your tank without keeping it as a meal for your catfish.

As well as if you want to feed your catfish dead snail you can take them out of the aquarium and when the fish are hungry mash the dead snail and put it in front of the fish.

If your fish eats it that’s good, otherwise remove the snail from the tank.

Diet of Cory Catfish in the Tank?

Cory catfish are freshwater and bottom feeder fish. They search in the bottom for food and scavenge every bottom corner of the tank.

Though they eat the bottom food, it is not enough for their proper development. They need supplemental food. You should put some different types of plants and meat for your fish. It will ensure your fish development.

–In the wild, cory cats are opportunistic feeders and will eat a variety of food items, including worms, insects, crustaceans, and plant material.

-In captivity, they can be fed a variety of foods such as commercial fish flakes, pellets, or frozen foods specifically formulated for bottom-dwelling fish.

-Live or frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia are also good options. They also may enjoy eating algae wafers.

It is also important to note that cory catfish are known to be “scavengers” and will often pick at the food that falls to the bottom of the tank.

It is important to feed corys small amounts multiple times a day as they are known to be opportunistic feeders and will eat as much as they can.

It is also important to ensure that the food sinks to the bottom of the tank, where corys typically forage for food.

How to Make Cory Catfish And Snails Coexist?

To adjust your cory catfish and snails in the same tank you should take some

Water Parameters

Cory catfish and snails both require almost same water quality. Cory catfish water temperature should remain between 74 degree to 80 degree F and the Water pH level should be 7 to 7.8.

Whether your aquarium snails need 65 to 82 degrees F water temperature without water pH fluctuation.

And regularly check your water to keep the nitrates, ammonia, nitrites level 0.

Large Tank

Though Cory catfish is peaceful as well as aquarium snail also but try to keep them in a large tank. Because it will give you an advantage to create large space and shallowness for your both pets.

Normally per snail requires only 5 gallons of water and catfish need 10 gallons of water.

So you should keep 20 gallons of tank for a perfect tank environment. It will help the pets to live stress free and toxic free.

Change Water Regularly

A clean and chemical free tank water can keep your snail and fish happy, healthy and diseases free.

But if you do not give attention to your tank water cleanness and perform an irregular water change can create some issues.

Like chemical spike less which will damage the water quality and make health issues for your pets. Hence change your water thirty percent every week.

Keep Some Plants

You can keep some plants in your tank. It will help to create some hiding and shaded spots in the tank.

Unnatural plants also work great in the large tank. As catfish mouth is small they avoid to feed your plants but they can nibble it.

Feed Properly

It is always recommended to keep your pets well feeded. Do not keep them without a food source.

It is true for both pet snails and fishes. You can supply some daphnia, algae wafers etc. for your fish.

Besides, put some algae, food supplements for your snails to keep them satisfied.

Select Right Tankmates

If you keep snails and catfish in the same tank always try to select the right tankmates. To avoid the conflict between catfish and snails chose a large snail.

Because catfish can eat baby snails and eggs but they can not eat large snails. So keep mystery snails, nerite snails or rabbit snails as the catfish tank mate.

In Which Cases Cory Catfish Might Eat Snails?

Cory catfish have a tiny mouth. Experienced aquarists take this situation advantage to make their snail compatible with the catfish

Moreover, cory catfish are not as interested in snails as people think. But in some cases cory catfish might eat snails. Such as dead snails or baby snails.

However, they do not eat your newly dead snails. As its flesh still is not out of the shell to easily feed.

But if you keep your dead snail in the tank and its flesh comes out from its shell, corydoras might eat it. As well as if you mash some dead snail and put it in front of the fish it might eat the snail.

FAQs

Final Words

In a nutshell, cory catfish do not eat snails. But in some cases they can eat baby snails and tiny eggs. Though it will not happen all the time.

So as an aquarist you should keep some large snails with the Cory catfish. Above I mentioned the ideal tankmate for corydoras.

I hope this article helps you to remove your concerns about do cory catfish eat snails.