Common question I am sure. Assassin snails?

[piao liang yu]

Let me first say that I have a really bad mts and ramshorn problem. I have been thinking my Angelicus Botia loaches would eventually keep them thinned out, but apparently they don't know they can be food. Starting to get a little nervous that the snail population is gonna get too far gone. Now, I also have red cherry shrimp. (I know, the Angelicus Botia will supposedly eat them, but they are not. My shrimp have been multiplying) Anyway, My dilemma is I am contemplating assassin snails, but I have read they will also eat shrimp.

What are some proven methods to knock down the snail population without putting my shrimp in danger?

 

[jjhabe]

I used to keep assassin snails with shrimp. They never bothered them, and really got the pest snails under control. Plus it was cool to watch them hunt down the mts.

 

[piao liang yu]

I used to keep assassin snails with shrimp. They never bothered them, and really got the pest snails under control. Plus it was cool to watch them hunt down the mts.

I have read where some folks have witnessed them go after their shrimp, but most say they do not. I would be very distraught if they started going after my shrimp, but I may have not choice. My wife is already reluctant to get them because she actually feels bad for the snails. I am not one to harm anything either, but these snails are just going crazy.

 

[That Fish kid]

During the day assassin snails usually burrow in the substrate or find a place to hide. They are very active once the lights go out however. Honestly a shrimp is so much faster than an assassin snail I really wouldn't be concerned at all.

 

[piao liang yu]

During the day assassin snails usually burrow in the substrate or find a place to hide. They are very active once the lights go out however. Honestly a shrimp is so much faster than an assassin snail I really wouldn't be concerned at all.

Is there any threat of assassin snails populating out of control? And how many should one insert into a 60 gallon tank 48"x13"? I have mts and ramshorns.

 

[Mlani]

I have a 65 and an 80 that currently have assassins. In the 65 I started with 5 snails and now have been making a profit off of them at the lfs. They breed like crazy in that tank. However in my 80 I put 3 in and haven't seen any more than just the three. Both tanks have no mts that I can see.

 

[piao liang yu]

I have a 65 and an 80 that currently have assassins. In the 65 I started with 5 snails and now have been making a profit off of them at the lfs. They breed like crazy in that tank. However in my 80 I put 3 in and haven't seen any more than just the three. Both tanks have no mts that I can see.

Ok, looks like i will get three then. Question though. Most folks say that mts are good for a tank. I like how they clean and keep my sand burrowed and all, but mercy, the have become a big problem. Will the assassins clean as well and burrow the substrate? What happens when all of the pest snails have been eradicated? What should be done at that point?

 

[Oohitsae]

You could also do the lettuce trick...sticking in a piece of lettuce at lights off and when you turn them back on in the morning you should have a lot of snails hanging on to it, pull the lettuce kill the snails, and try again the next night, eventually they will be under control with no possible harm to your shrimp and other fish.

Now, while we are on the subject of assasins, I'd rather not start a new thread and just ask it here:: Once the assasins have got the snail pop's under control, do they become cannibals? If they do/dont, will they eat anything else, or do you need to keep supplying them with other snails to munch on?

 

[Mlani]

Again both of my tanks have proven different theories. In the 65 the mts are gone. I haven't added anything extra for the assassins to eat and they continue to thrive. In the 80 they cleaned up all the mts and I haven't seen any of the assassins since. They do "mix the substrate" as well.

 

[That Fish kid]

You could also do the lettuce trick...sticking in a piece of lettuce at lights off and when you turn them back on in the morning you should have a lot of snails hanging on to it, pull the lettuce kill the snails, and try again the next night, eventually they will be under control with no possible harm to your shrimp and other fish.

Now, while we are on the subject of assasins, I'd rather not start a new thread and just ask it here:: Once the assasins have got the snail pop's under control, do they become cannibals? If they do/dont, will they eat anything else, or do you need to keep supplying them with other snails to munch on?

No they don't eat each other, somehow they
know the difference. You can feed them more snails, but they will also eat live worms.

 

[Waam]

Would you be interested in sending me a few via USPS First Class? I'd gladly pay shipping, of course.

 

[Mebbid]

Assassins are a big help in keeping pest populations of snails down but you really should look at the root cause of the explosion in snail population. Big population explosions of snails are really only caused by large amounts of uneaten food wasting away at the bottom of the tank. Cutting down the the feedings will have a huge impact on the numbers of snails. When my infestation was large, I just took a net and scraped all the snails off of the side of the tank and fed them to my room mates turtle. That was the quickest cut down on the numbers of pond snails I had. I also added 5 assassin snails to the same tank which was a 29g and they seemed to help keep the numbers down although they couldn't wipe them out. Assassin snails will only eat about 1 other snail a day so with a HUGE infestation a few snails wont even begin to make a dent in their numbers.

 

[Mlani]

I agree with the last post about looking into what caused the explosion of mts in your tank. I do however have to disagree (based on my experience) about the assassins not being able to wipe out the mts completely when out numbered.

 

[Mebbid]

I agree with the last post about looking into what caused the explosion of mts in your tank. I do however have to disagree (based on my experience) about the assassins not being able to wipe out the mts completely when out numbered.

A heavily infested 60 gallon aquarium could easily have hundreds of snails in it, especially MTS which for the most part you wont see them enough to figure out how many there are. 3 Assassin Snails eating a few a day aren't going to have enough of an impact on the population to keep pace with the speed that they will breed at.

 

[Mlani]

A heavily infested 60 gallon aquarium could easily have hundreds of snails in it, especially MTS which for the most part you wont see them enough to figure out how many there are. 3 Assassin Snails eating a few a day aren't going to have enough of an impact on the population to keep pace with the speed that they will breed at.

I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I am simply stating what MY experience has been with these snails.

 

[Mebbid]

I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I am simply stating what MY experience has been with these snails.

Well put, YOUR experience with them obviously differs from mine. While 3 assassin snails in a large tank may or may not wipe out a residing snail population it definitely won't hurt to add them in any case.

All arguments about effectiveness aside; any solution for the snails focusing on adding an animal to kill them isn't solving the root problem. Looking at the snails residing in your aquarium in a different light that most people ignore - the excess food that they are currently living off of will just be converted to an extra ammonia source as well as nutrients to spur algae growth. I tended to look at the snail infestation as a sort of buffer for me to get my feeding habits for my fish under control. While they were annoying looking they weren't necessarily hurting anything.

 

[piao liang yu]

Well put, YOUR experience with them obviously differs from mine. While 3 assassin snails in a large tank may or may not wipe out a residing snail population it definitely won't hurt to add them in any case.

All arguments about effectiveness aside; any solution for the snails focusing on adding an animal to kill them isn't solving the root problem. Looking at the snails residing in your aquarium in a different light that most people ignore - the excess food that they are currently living off of will just be converted to an extra ammonia source as well as nutrients to spur algae growth. I tended to look at the snail infestation as a sort of buffer for me to get my feeding habits for my fish under control. While they were annoying looking they weren't necessarily hurting anything.

I actually do not have many snails on the glass at any given time. Tons on the bottom though. As for feeding. I feed theraA+ on certain days and omega one color flakes on alternating days and once a week feed thawed frozen blood worms. I also occasionally throw in an algae wafer. Did not realize that is over feeding. I don't feed much when i do, but it is almost everyday. I skip a day every couple of weeks.

 

[Mlani]

If your mts population isn't huge at this point, I would suggest either using the lettuce/zucchini/jar technique and only feed what your fish will eat completely in 15mins. I feed smaller amounts more often for my discus, with my Africans I feed every other day. It's all about figuring out what works best for you and your fish. If you're really dead set on getting some assassins I would start with 3-5 for your size of tank.

 

[piao liang yu]

If your mts population isn't huge at this point, I would suggest either using the lettuce/zucchini/jar technique and only feed what your fish will eat completely in 15mins. I feed smaller amounts more often for my discus, with my Africans I feed every other day. It's all about figuring out what works best for you and your fish. If you're really dead set on getting some assassins I would start with 3-5 for your size of tank.

yeah, i ordered three already. They are on their way. As for shipping some of my pests, i really don't know how to ship them. How would i package them for the trip?

 

[Mlani]

I haven't shipped any fish personally. I take mine to my lfs in a bucket/baggie. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in here?