Keeping snails or plecos with axies?

[steffi]

Hey everybody,

I've got massive algal growth in my axolotl tank, both green and brown algae andI'm getting sick of always having to scrub the tank so I can actually see my axies through the glass.

In my other tank I've got some tropical fish with snails and a plecostomus. They do a real good job of keeping the tank algae free.

Would this work in my axie tank as well or would my axies eat the snails or pleco, or would the snails/pleco harm my axies?

Any help would be great,
cheers, Steffi

 

[anna]

People on here have snails in their axie tanks (me included) so I think you should be pretty safe with them. If the snail is big enough it should escape being eaten by your axie though I know for a fact that they will eat them if they can fit them in their mouths. I have an infestation at the moment of ramshorn snails in my tank which came in on some elodea I bought and my axie hapily eats them when he feels peckish. The pleco might not be such a good idea as mutual nibbling may occur. Try a large apple snail or two.

 

[steffi]

Cool, I might get some snails then

Thanks for the advice,
Steffi

 

[luke]

I have two apple snails in with my axie. Make sure when you get one , it's bigger than the axie's mouth. Check out this link to see some pics.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/793/62311.html

 

[jinny]

I personally don't think anything should be housed with axies. Axies will eat the apple snail's antennae.

You're better off trying plants to gobble up the excess nutrients that the algae is feeding off of. Or try reducing the light that the tank gets.

At many pets stores it's $12 US for a large applesnail and only $2-4 US for a bunch of plants.

 

[luke]

My axie had a go at my apple snail at first , but ever since has left them alone. They have their full antena and parts.

 

[jinny]

That's because apple snails will eventually regrow, but still not fair to the snail. Apple snails also do not eat algae as their main diet. http://www.applesnail.net

 

[s1ren]

Are apple snails the ones that can close up a kind of "trap door" in the shell, which can cut off toes and tails of newts and axies?

I read that somewhere here on the forums, but I don't remember what thread I found it in.

 

[jinny]

Yes, they have operculums, but aren't the only species that do.