They can be very hard to totally remove and many people just don’t want them in their fish tanks. Your snails should be happy to eat fish food designed for bottom feeders, for instance sinking shrimp pellets. This can happen as they lack natural enemies. It is a good idea to feed your snails a wide variety of food, as they can become fussy. What they consume depends on where they live and the species of snail that they are. In aquariums, snails also serve as waste recyclers. Fish food should not be their staple food source though, as it is high in protein. Snails feed on a variety of food found in their natural habitat. Nearly all planted tanks benefit greatly from snails. Snails do enjoy eating fish food, algae, produce, and plant matter, but from time to time, they have been known to eat fish detritus, otherwise known as fish poop. Some conventional foods are plants, fruits, vegetables, and algae. Snails will eat fish food if they are able to reach it. A number of people wanted to know the answer to this question so I have decided to discuss the answer in details. Snails will eat fish food if they are able to reach it. It depends on the species. Precisely because they eat algae. Many snails love to burrow, they essentially aerate your substrate which can keep deadly and toxic anaerobic gasses from building up in your fish tank. Amongst the plant eating snails are rabbit snails and some bigger apple snail species. I have to differ with Jeanne’s answer. Although, that said, they will go for the tastier stuff first. Do aquarium snails eat live aquarium plants? Fish food should not be their staple food source though, as it is high in protein. Plants that are dying are often a good meal for them, and they also eat sand or soil when seeking for calcium to get a thicker shell. Diet. If you prefer plant-eating sea snails like the cowrie, include saltwater plants in the aquarium and leave tank algae for snails to eat. Some snails are scavengers and will help themselves to whatever food they can find. Fish food should not be their staple food source though, as it is high in protein. What Do Snails Eat in an Aquarium? As I told earlier that there are different types of snails so different types of snails eat different types of food. Snails prefer algae and algae wafers. They eat dead plant remains and uneaten fish food. What do Snails Eat? Snails will eat fish food if they are able to reach it. In the wild, Giant African Land Snails are known to eat up to 500 different species of plant. Because they are scavengers, snails will eat debris, leftover fish food, and algae in the tank; in effect, they are sort of slow-moving vacuum cleaners. Many species of snail will eat algae, but there are multiple different types of algae and not all snails eat all types of algae. If keeping carnivorous snails, stock the aquarium with prey such as small bivalves. Tablets and wafers that attach to the side of the tank also work for snails. Snails prefer algae and algae wafers. Some species of snails definitely do fancy a fresh aquatic leaf. Most snails that hitchhike into your aquarium (and often considered pest snails) do not eat healthy leaves. Many snails love cucumber and lettuce, but it is less nutritious than other vegetables so it … Don’t get us wrong, there are both advantages and disadvantages to having snails in your tank. If they find a lot of food, they can multiply explosively. I have 5 planted tanks and three different types of snails in each, all of which are wonderful for the tanks. I will discuss multiple snails’ food. Sinking food is best for snails because they can't eat fish food that floats on the water's surface. Snails prefer algae and algae wafers.