# Will assassins eat nerites if they have lots of MTS instead?



## quiquik (Dec 13, 2013)

I have 2 Assassin snails in my 50 gal with 4 nerite snails and have not had any problems with them being together, but the assassins do a good job on the pond snails that are in the tank.


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

I love my nerites too much to risk it right now, but it's great to see others say they are fine.

I just wanted to add that a coarse prefilter is another thought to keep them away from the impeller 

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## winn (Jan 7, 2016)

natemcnutty said:


> I just wanted to add that a coarse prefilter is another thought to keep them away from the impeller


Yeah, I've thought about doing that, but unfortunately I think I'd have to change the filter too, since I'm not sure how I could do that with the underwater filter I'm using in that tank at the moment.


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## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

Yes they will, given the chance. The smaller nerites tend to go first.


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## bbroush (Sep 13, 2012)

I've had the same experience as krispy. Eventually after 3 years I went from 4 nerites to zero


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## maxhrbal (Mar 19, 2016)

MTS's are not the assassin snails first choice of a meal. They will seek out other snails before they eat an mts. However, my largest pond snails (about as big as a nerite) are rarely targeted. (Because there are smaller pond and rams horn snails available.) It really depends but I would still think that your nerites would indeed become a tasty meal at some point....especially if you don't have other snails like ramhorn/pond snails, etc. it's just I know mts are not their first choice.

You can always remove your assassin snails too, if they turn out to be committing mass genocide. They are very easily spotted and removed, even babies.


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## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

I've always wanted a tank devoted to assassin snails


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

my assassin snails never ate my MTS


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## Boreas (Jan 24, 2016)

bbroush said:


> I've had the same experience as krispy. Eventually after 3 years I went from 4 nerites to zero


Nerite snails are only supposed to live a little over a year. They were probably eaten because they were old and weak.

I've seen my Assassin snail eating trumpet snail, but the ramshorn snails are obviously preferred dining.


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## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

Boreas said:


> Nerite snails are only supposed to live a little over a year. They were probably eaten because they were old and weak..


This is untrue because my little nerite snails were victims first. It may or may not be true for the larger snails too.


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## Boreas (Jan 24, 2016)

I'm not trying to be argumentative. However, the young of any species are also vulnerable to predation.

My Nerite is significantly larger than my assassin snail, I'm not overly concerned about it.


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## bbroush (Sep 13, 2012)

Boreas said:


> I'm not trying to be argumentative. However, the young of any species are also vulnerable to predation.
> 
> 
> 
> My Nerite is significantly larger than my assassin snail, I'm not overly concerned about it.




That's what I thought, but many people in other posts have mentioned how multiple assassin snails will gang up on large nerites. I saw this happen to one of my nerites, tried to brush off the assassins but they probably got him again because he was gone within a couple days.


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Boreas said:


> Nerite snails are only supposed to live a little over a year. They were probably eaten because they were old and weak.
> 
> I've seen my Assassin snail eating trumpet snail, but the ramshorn snails are obviously preferred dining.


Is 1 year expected for certain types of Nerites? I have the standard and zebra variants that are over 2 years old, but my bumblebee one isn't quite that old yet. They are pretty freaking huge too...


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## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

Boreas said:


> I'm not trying to be argumentative. However, the young of any species are also vulnerable to predation.
> 
> My Nerite is significantly larger than my assassin snail, I'm not overly concerned about it.


I was just correcting a false statement. Unless the assassin snails told you that they couldnt or wouldn't attempt to eat a full grown nerite snail. Everything else is speculation but I have seen my full grown (nerite) snails gone. My medium sized snails gone and my small ones gone too so I'm pretty sure it isn't coincidentally.


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## Fireweed (Oct 11, 2016)

I have a 75 with 'a lot' of assassins. 
I have never had one kill a Nerite (zebras) in the two years I've kept them together. 
There are also over 100 mixed shrimp, and I have never seen an assassin kill one. I've seen them eat already dead fish and I assume they are eating detritus and any left overs(and there isn't a lot of that!)

Personally I have trouble believing they'd hurt shrimp or nerites as mine don't and pond snails have long since been eradicated.


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## mtaugus (Feb 11, 2014)

I've watched two Assassins team up and murder one of my mystery snails with sufficient MTS in the tank..


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## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

Fireweed said:


> Personally I have trouble believing they'd hurt shrimp or nerites as mine don't and pond snails have long since been eradicated.


Do you really wanna know? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O8SGQHIkS4c


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## bbroush (Sep 13, 2012)

Krispyplants said:


> Do you really wanna know? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O8SGQHIkS4c




Woah


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## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

Woah indeed. Carnage.

It looks like other shrimp were trying to help her out. Cool video, it made me a believer. Now I feel like I should remove the assassins from my shrimp tank...


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