Can snails and betta fish cohabitate?

Question

So my mom just brought home three snails home. One for me, and two for my brothers. I set the bag in the water for 20 minutes, and then put the snail into the tank.

My female betta fish has been in this tank for about 2 months, once the snail was in the tank, my betta (Emmi) paid close attention to it. A few Minutes later she starts nipping at its shell, I use the net end to push her a way but she goes right back.

At this point I'm not sure if I should take out the snail or just keep it in and keep observing. Please tell me what I should do.

Answer 1

This article has several good suggestions for potential betta tankmates. It also mentions:

Please remember that the ideas below are suggestions. Your betta may get along just fine with all of these new tankmates, or he might kill and eat them. Every betta is different, and these are just general guidelines.

It sounds like your betta is potentially aggressive, so please don't try to socialize her without supervision. My betta has never tried to eat his tankmates of several months, which are a zebra snail and four ghost shrimp in a five-gallon tank. It seems like more information might be helpful: What size tank do you have, and do you know the species of the snail you're trying to introduce?

Answer 2

I have had a betta with nerite snails successfully, but as Bruce said, everything is a "recommendation" and each betta is different. My betta was pretty chill and never bothered the snails.

Keep observing Emmi's behavior and if he really isn't leaving the snail alone, even if he doesn't kill the snail outright, he may be stressing it out to where it might not be best for it stay in the tank with him.

Answer 3

Bettas love to eat snails. You don't say how big the snail is. But if the Betta can physically eat the snail, it will. Bettas are actually good additions to tanks that have snail infestations, and will keep them in check.