# assassin snails, how many and how much to feed?



## gbb0330 (Nov 21, 2015)

I am setting up a fluval spec III (3 gallon) shrimp tank.
its going to have a relatively big piece of driftwood and java moss. so actual water will be around 2 gallons.

I intend to add some assassin snails and feed them with pest snails from my other tanks.

how many assassin snails can I keep in such a small tank?
how much should i feed them?


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

My suggestion is 0. I am going to start recommending 1 assassin snail for tanks up to 50g. I had two in my 75g, immensely overfed the fish and NEVER cleaned off new plants. I never saw a pest snail on the glass and one of my assassins disappeared. Even when I took the tank down, I could only find one. 

If you want an assassin to clean up your other tanks, just get one and move him around as you notice the tanks don't have snails.


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

I added a (pregnant, turns out) assassin to a 10 gal, to avoid getting too many. Just broke it down six months later and donated 40+ to the LFS, and I'm sure I missed a bunch.


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## gbb0330 (Nov 21, 2015)

thanks for your replies

Freemananana, i think you misunderstood my question. I want to keep assassin snails in my 3 gallon, fluval spec, tank - NOT in my other tanks.

AdamTill, so 40+ in a 10 gal.
did you feed them with pest snails from other tanks?
do they eat other food, like algae wafers or sinking pellets?


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## Wilderman204 (Mar 5, 2015)

Well I've never had them. But you can easily breed pest snails to feed them in a bucket of water.


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## Jcstank (Jan 3, 2015)

I have assassin sails in my 75g and 10g but I only added them to these established tanks after the MTS population got to be a bit too much. I have two in each and funny thing is the 75 MTS population has been reduced noticeably but the 10, although littered with empty shells, still has a strong MTS population. I've noticed in my 75 g that there are a few smaller baby assassin snails moving around in there now.


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

I fed mine with sinking Cory pellets, but they also quickly figured out how to ride surface tension to eat flake food intended for my cardinals. I took 1 VERY young assassin home for each 20 so I didn't end up with more than 1.

I'd honestly start with 1 and see if it can keep up at first UNLESS you don't mind a bunch of them. I wanted to breed fish in that tank, and the assassins have been known to eat eggs.


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## Underwater (Jun 25, 2012)

I guess the important question is how many and what size of pest snail do you have? An adult assassin can go through 10+ <1/3" pond or ramshorns a week. If you have bigger snails with say 0.5" shells they might eat 1 every week or two and they will go be comatose in your substrate for a week. I have had varied luck with assassins eating MTS, the other snails are easier to eat so they will take them down first. Sinking pellets (meat variety) work for feeding too, 1-2 per week would be a starting point.


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## dzega (Apr 22, 2013)

you can keep as many as you like in 10gal. 
3-5 would be reasonable i'd say. they do accept protein rich dried or frozen food. mine go crazy for a cube of dried tubefix worms even if there are small pest snails in the tank


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