Loaches killing snails in pet shop =(

[RandomWiktor]

Ungh. Why oh why do pet shops insist on keeping tons of hungry loaches in with a bunch of weak, underfed snails? I was recently at Animal Kingdom USA in Brewster, NY, and was HORRIFIED by all of the dead snails. They had every single snail tank loaded with loaches, and the poor snails were basically all eaten. I bought the only two surviving apple snails in one tank, who only seemed to be surviving because they'd climbed completely out of the water. And in another tank, the last surviving trapdoor, who I also bought, had a loach trying to work his shell open. I complained to the manager, and got all three snails for $3 instead of the $8 it should have cost me for the three. But despite my complaints, I doubt they'll change things.
Does anyone know why stores do this? Are the loaches supposed to only eat the dead snails? Because if THAT many snails died, I'm even more shocked and appalled; I would reckon the reason so many were dead was that the poor underfed loaches were eating them. It just seems cruel to keep two incompatible species together like that. And the store must lose money on it. Do you think if I wrote a letter pointing this out to the manager, they might consider changing their arrangement?

[snailio]

It's always worth writing a letter. They clearly need education on the proper care of snails. I'm the kind of person who would write to the store manager and then copy it to the corporate offices.

[Annie Anderson]

good advice, Snailio

[snailio]

Yeah, I'm pretty much a Type-A personality. LOL. If you're going to take the time to do it, you need to diplomatically and politely raise a ruckus with the right people. You also have a better chance of a response if someone knows the bigwigs are aware of the situation.

[RandomWiktor]

I'll def. write a letter then. I complained to the manager who was in, but he was just the day manager and didn't seem to give a crap; he just gave me a discount on the snails since they were "probably sick." They all seem plenty healthy and active to me. I think the issue is that they have a snail predator in the tanks, and don't seem to be feeding either very much.

[pbgroupie]

It depends on what type of loach is in the tank to determine whether or not they are snail killers or just cleaning up. I've found many fish stores do not have the knowledge to raise snails properly and give poor (or no) advice on how to care for them. When there is a large amount of dead or dying snails in a tank, I usually blame it on the medications they add for the fish health. Many of the meds are death sentences for snails but the employees just don't know or maybe just don't care. Educating them would certainly be the best route.

[Pollux]

many times i have seen snails in green water, malachite green water. one place the substrate was practically empty shells. luckily after a while the places got sick of loosing money so they stoped stocking them, they stoped stocking the fish eventually too.

[badflash]

I've been to that store a few times. I live in Wappingers. I spent some time talking with the woman in charge of buying snails and fish when I was there. She knew her fish, but didn't know beans about inverts.

Big box stores, even though this one is a small chain, work on a formula that they only plant on selling about 10%, the rest die. They are clueless about tank mates, and don't usually have room for a bunch of snail only tanks.

That place also uses a common recirc water system, so the snails would have been stressed due to the salt and smelling the loaches, no moter if they were not in the tank with them. Once I knew that was how they did stuff, I decided not to sell them any of my snails.

[Bottomfeeder]

Loaches have pharangeal teeth and are equipped with suction mouthparts, and are well-adapted to eating Snails. It's possible that the snails were put in as "continuous" feeders, a self-sustaining feed. Like people who will own a Serralsmus rhombus and put in a few Blackskirt Tetras to act as feeders when the Rhom feels hungry. But i cant see why ANYONE would use Apple Snails and Trapdoor Snails!