Can Snails Live With Bettas?

When it comes to our tanks, we all have visions of happy fish and creatures bobbing around, enjoying the coral and other marine life we have filled in there.

We often spend hours and hours of our lives researching to ensure we are creating the perfect tank for fish and other aquatic creatures to thrive in.

But even after all the research, the days spent in pet and aquatic stores, we still find ourselves up late at night wondering about the makeup of our tank.

After all, the last thing we want is to put fish in there that will fight with one another…

Many of us worry about what we put in the tank with our bettas. Betta fish are known for eating anything in sight and can wreak havoc on your tank, leaving you to wonder just what you can put in there with them that they won’t eat or fight.

Yes, snails can live with bettas! In general, this will depend on the aggressiveness of the betta, and it’s often best to get the betta fish first and introduce other animals to your tank rather than the other way round.

If you know your betta is particularly aggressive or have had problems in the past, then it’s best to avoid tank mates. Not only will your fish attack or potentially eat the other mates, but it can be distressing on your betta fish which could lead to health complications down the line.

However, if you haven’t noticed or experienced any aggression issues with your betta fish, you can add snails to your tank. It’s best to initially add one or two snails to your tank and see how your betta fish will react.

Adding too many snails can cause them to become aggressive and attack. Instead, start with small numbers and see how your fish react and behave.

Which snails can I add to my betta tank?

Turret snails are the best snails for beginners to include in their tanks. They grow up to 1.5inches and require the same pH and temperature as bettas, making them a welcome and easy to maintain addition to your tank.

These snails will thrive, providing the water conditions are good and the gravel in the tank. Avoid using gravel with sharp edges, as this can hurt or kill your snails.

Your only other concern will be snail breeding! If left unchecked, your tank can quickly become overrun with turret snails!

Ramshorn snails are another snail that requires the same temperature and pH as bettas, making them an easy addition to your tank. These snails are best suited to tanks without too many plants as they can start to eat the plants!

Ramshorn snails otherwise will forage on the floor or eat algae and are a snail you can leave in your tank and forget about.

Again, you will need to watch these snails when it comes to breeding! If there’s enough food, you will be amazed at the rate they reproduce.

You can also add Mystery snails to your tank. These don’t require any special care, but be sure that your betta is getting enough food before introducing these fish!

Generally, if pellets or food are reaching the substrate, then your betta is unlikely to eat the mystery snail, but if not, the mystery snail can start to look pretty tasty to your betta!

Mystery snails grow a little larger, to roughly two inches, and can survive in the same pH and temperature as your betta fish, so you won’t need to make any adjustments there!

Having snails that require the same temperature and pH in the tank makes your life easier and requires less maintenance, perfect for the beginners.

You can also add pond snails or nerite snails, but they do like a slightly different pH to your betta fish. This can be adjusted, and providing the pH and temperature are steadily maintained, you are unlikely to encounter issues.

Will the bettas eat my snails?

Betta’s are known for eating anything and everything in your tank, so given a chance, they might try and eat your snails too! Thankfully, there is a solution. Purchasing snails that are larger tends to reduce the chances of them getting eaten by your betta fish.

These larger snails will be harder to eat, and often this is enough to discourage them from attempting to take on the snails!

However, bettas can sometimes still try to eat the fleshy parts of your snails, which can be fatal in some cases. Larger snails will have a better chance of defending themselves against your bettas.

You can expect some fights or challenges from the betta fish, but generally, these larger snails will be able to defend themselves against the bettas.