I am often asked if snails should be kept in the dwarf shrimp aquarium.  The short of the answer is yes!  I almost all of my shrimp tanks I have Red Ramshorn Snails and Malaysian Trumpet Snails.  And many of my aquariums also have the common pond snail that have found their way in and established a population.

So why would you want snails in your dwarf shrimp aquarium?  Well, they are great scavengers.  They help keep the aquarium clean by devouring any uneaten food.  The snails that I mentioned will not eat baby shrimp and most times do not harm plants.  There are no down sides to these species, that is, if you don’t mind their appearance. 

Some hobbyists are even selectively breeding the Red Ramshorn Snail for color.  They have bred bright red, pink, and even a gorgeous blue.  These snails tend to be quite expensive, but are easy to breed and a sustainable population will be reached quickly.

So if you do not mind the appearance of snails in an aquarium, they are quite beneficial and I recommend them whole heartedly, as long as you pick shrimp safe species!