Bettas are known to be territorial, so choosing the right tank mates is essential to having a peaceful community aquarium. Snails are a popular choice for non-fish tank mates for bettas.
Snails can be excellent tank mates for betta fish. They stay out of bettas’ way, so bettas ignore them. The snails should also be large enough so betta fish do not attempt to eat them. Nerites, Mystery and Assassin snails are good options. It is important that betta fish and the snails of your choice can thrive in the same water conditions.
Why Betta Fish And Snails Can Be Good Tank Mates
Bettas are notorious for their aggressive, territorial personalities, so it is essential to consider several factors.
Betta fish and several snail species can coexist peacefully and comfortably in the same aquarium.
Snails are a great option for several reasons:
- Snails do not bother betta fish. They dwell on the bottom or the walls of the aquarium and do not swim in the feisty betta’s way.
- Snails are usually quite inconspicuous and move slowly, so they do not trigger bettas with their appearance or behavior.
- Betta fish can test and explore any new tank inhabitants at first and they may try to nip and bully a snail. Luckily, snails have their shells for protection, and bettas are likely to leave them alone after the initial period of getting to know each other.
Most Betta fish do not attack snails, if they have appropriate nutrition and the environment in the tank is optimal.
Several species of snails like the same water parameters as bettas, which makes them suitable neighbors for betta fish.
Do Betta Fish Try to Eat Snails?
Usually, bettas do not attack snails. However, betta fish can eat small snails. So, it is better to avoid adding small species of snails to your aquarium, unless you want your betta to add them to its diet.
Most bettas will eat hatchling snails of almost any snail species. It is important to remove baby snails unless you are fine with betta consuming them.
Can Snails Kill Betta Fish?
Snails do not attack fish. It would be highly unusual for a snail to cause harm to betta or other fish species.
3 POPULAR SNAIL SPECIES THAT CAN LIVE WITH BETTA FISH
Snails that can live with betta must be large enough so your fish does not see them as food.
The fish and the snails share their living space, so the water parameters need to be optimal for betta and the snails.
Most snail species are susceptible to copper in the water, so it is important to avoid any copper products.
Bettas like calm, warm water. 76-82 °F/ 25-28°C is the ideal temperature range for them. The acidity range is rather narrow 7-7.5, and they need water hardness in the range of 5-20 GH.
Mystery Snail and Their Water Parameters
| Temperature | 68-84 °F/ 20-29°C |
| pH | 7.6-8.4 |
| Hardness | KH 12-18, GH 8-18 |
Mystery snails are beautiful, peaceful, and useful for most aquariums.
These snails are excellent at keeping a tank with natural plants clean and they can live well with most pet fish, including bettas.
Mystery snails’ diet includes waste and biofilm, algae wafers, fish pellets, and small blanched pieces of vegetables, such as cucumber and spinach. These snails can sense the presence of food and hurry toward anything they consider eatable as soon as they notice it.
Nerite Snail and Their Water Parameters
| Temperature | 70-85 °F/ 21-30°C |
| pH | 6.5-8.5 |
| Hardness | KH 12-18, GH 12-18 |
Nerites are extremely effective at keeping algae under control in any aquarium. They excel at maintaining the tank’s decorations, substrate, and walls clean and polished for the other inhabitants of the aquarium.
Nerites are hardy and small. Their shells are about an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. They are large enough to live with bettas.
These snails are easy to maintain and do not reproduce in freshwater, so you do not need to worry about controlling their population.
These snails are also pleasant to see, given their peculiar shell patterns. Peaceful and timid, Nerites coexist without any issues with other snails, most fish, and shrimp species.
Nerites need plenty of algae. You can supplement their diet with algae wafers and blanched greens, such as kale and spinach. Calcium supplements help maintain a good shell.
These snails are climbers, so your tank needs either a lid or the water should not reach the top of the tank.
Assassin Snail and Their Water Parameters
| Temperature | 68-75 °F/ 20-24° C |
| pH | 6.5-8 |
| Hardness | KH 2-15, GH 12-18 |
Assassin snails are particularly useful because they eliminate pest snails without using any chemicals in your aquarium.
Assassin snails are relatively small (up to 1 in/ 2.5 cm), and they prey on smaller snails, so if you have a Mystery snail or a large Nerite snail in your tank, they are safe around Assassins. However, a small Nerite could be at risk, particularly if you do not supplement the Assassin snails’ diet.
Most fish keepers do not have large numbers of snails in their tanks, so Assassin snails need additional food. You can feed them meaty foods, such as fish flakes and blood worms.
These snails will eat any dead fish in the aquarium but they do not attack live healthy fish. These snails need sand substrate to hide in when they need rest.
To Conclude
Snails are a wonderful and useful addition to a community aquarium, and they can be great neighbors to your betta fish.
As with any new species to a community tank, it is important to observe how betta interacts with snails. It is not likely that you would need to separate the two but it is a good idea to have a nano tank available if your betta fish behave aggressively toward the snails.
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