The yoyo loaches is a freshwater fish. Aquarists love to keep yoyo loaches in their aquarium for its interesting looking.
Also this fish is peaceful and can live with other peaceful fish mates. But unfortunately they have some dangerous food habits which make new aquarists anxious.
Beginners become confused thinking should they keep the yoyo loaches and snails in the same tank or need to separate the tank.
In this case, one question spins around in their mind: do yoyo loaches eat snails?
Do Yoyo Loaches Eat Snails?
The short answer is that yoyo loaches eat snails. Because yoyo loaches are omnivorous. Besides, snails are their favorite meal. So they will eat your pet snails and pest snails also.
If you put loaches and snails for the first time loaches will not attack your snails but after sometimes they will start to feed your snails.
Moreover if your loach is pregnant it will feed the snails as a nutrient source for their egg development.
For instance, yoyo loaches are omnivorous and it’s better to keep your snails away from loaches .
Furthermore if you want to control your snail population then you can choose loaches for your snail tank. As it won’t leave the pest snails along with your large snails.
The Magical Food Chain: Yoyo Loach & Snail Dynamics
In a natural ecosystem, the relationship between yoyo loaches and snails can be an important part of the food chain. Yoyo loaches are omnivorous, meaning that they feed on both plants and animals.
In the wild, they may consume a variety of foods, including snails, insects, and small crustaceans.
Snails, on the other hand, are herbivorous, meaning that they feed on plants. In an aquarium or pond, snails may consume algae and other aquatic plants, helping to keep the ecosystem in balance.
The relationship between yoyo loaches and snails can be complex, as the two species may interact in various ways. In some cases, yoyo loaches may help to control the population of snails, reducing the amount of algae and other plants that they consume.
This can be beneficial to the overall health of the ecosystem, as too many snails can cause an overgrowth of algae, which can lead to poor water quality and other problems.
On the other hand, yoyo loaches may also consume snails that are an important part of the ecosystem, such as those that help to break down organic matter or those that serve as a food source for other species.
In these cases, the relationship between yoyo loaches and snails may be more negative, as the loaches may disrupt the balance of the ecosystem.
Overall, the relationship between yoyo loaches and snails is dynamic and can vary depending on the specific circumstances of the ecosystem.
Killer Yoyos: How Loaches Eat Snails
Loaches are a group of fish that are known for their ability to consume snails. There are several species of loaches that are known to feed on snails, including the clown loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) and the yoyo loach (Botia almorhae).
Loaches typically eat snails by using their sharp, pointed teeth to puncture the snail’s shell. They are able to do this by “swimming” along the ground using their pectoral fins and their flexible bodies, searching for snails to eat.
Once they have found a snail, they will use their teeth to pry open the shell and extract the snail’s body.
Some loaches, such as the yoyo loach, are particularly skilled at hunting snails and are sometimes referred to as “killer yoyos” because of their ability to locate and consume snails with such efficiency.
While loaches are effective at controlling snail populations, they may not be the best choice for all aquariums.
Some loaches can grow quite large and may not be suitable for small tanks, and they may also consume other small invertebrates or plants.
It is important to research the specific needs and behaviors of any fish species before adding it to an aquarium.
Do Yoyo Loaches Eat Any Type of Snail?
Yoyo loaches is a snail hunter. They do not choose any type of snail for eating. They will eat any size and any species of snails.
Though yoyo loaches will attack the pest snails first as they can suck it easily from the shell. After finishing the pest snails it will start to attack the large snails.
You should know that your apple snail, ramshorns, or nerite snail, rabbit snail is not safe from this bottom water predator. This fish could also attack your tamed mystery snail. It eats snails of all varieties.
So it is better to remove the pet snails from the loaches tank if you think to decrease only the pest snails.
And if the snail is matured it can be safe from loaches for some time but it will always try to suck the snail through its shell.
Will Yoyo Loaches Eat Large Snails?
I already disclosed that yoyo loaches are snail hunters. Accordingly, loaches are not selective to eat snails by their size and species.
If they feel hungry or get a large snail on their way they will try to eat this snail whatever the size is.
Though it will take time to eat the long size snail. There are some snails which are known as long size snails such as nerite snail, apple snail and rabbit snail.
Nerite snails can grow from 1 to 1.5 inches long. And if the loaches attack them they can tightly hold their carapace for their unique shell shape.
But a mature loach can feed it after some struggle. Also loaches can crack the young nerite snail shell to feed easily.
Apple snail is also known as the large snail. A mature apple snail can be 2 to 3 inches. But the length of this snail can not save it from loaches.
Because it has long antennae which make them vulnerable and the loach can eat like a bird.
Another large snail is the rabbit snail. It can grow 2 to 4 inches. Though this snail has a large size and shape and is a little bit challenging for loaches to eat it entirely, still they can kill it and consume it.
FAQs
How many snails do yoyo loaches eat a day?
The amount of snail loaches consumed each day depends on the both loaches and snail size and also the skill of catching prey.
If loaches eat under 1 inch snails then they will eat three to five snails. Even so they will feed one to two big snails till they feel hungry.
However each day loaches will eat four to ten snails if they feed double time. So as you will keep many fish in the same tank you can calculate per day how many snails will eat your fish.
Will yoyo loaches eat dead snails?
Yoyo loaches are not selective food eaters. They eat all kinds of food though they love meat.
But they are not skilled at hunting so they need to eat dead creatures. Hence they eat dead snails. Also they eat shrimp and other little fish.
Will yoyo loaches eat snail shells?
Yoyo loaches are small fish. When they are mature they can be 2.5 inches long. Also they do not have any teeth to eat the shell. So they do not feed on snail shells.
As well as snail shells made of carbonate and calcium and most of the fish can not digest it easily. Hence they only eat the snail body. Though they will break the large snail shell to feed it easily.
Can baby loaches eat snails?
Younger loaches snail eating can vary as they are young and do not have enough strength to control a snail. But they eat snails till they hold it in their jaws.
However they generally eat small snails and their eggs. Also baby loaches may fail to eat fully developed snails for their immature jaws.
In spite of that you can put some baby loaches in your snail tank, it will control the snail population feeding the egg and pest snails.
In conclusion, actually this fish eats snails and snails are their favorite food. They do not select which snail they will eat and which will not. They feed all kinds of snails, whatever the size and shape is. Generally this fish eats four to ten snails per day.