# Assassin snail VS Shrimp



## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

I've read many reports about assassin snails eating shrimp. Most claim that the shrimp are fast and won't fall prey. The times it does happen, the shrimp was usually dead or dying. This is not the case.

This tank is on my desk so I watch it a lot. I have two berried females in this tank. Both were scurrying around and eating just prior to this. I noticed one of them attracted to the snail. It would swim over to it and get right in it's face over and over. I thought maybe the snail is dying and the shrimp smelled an easy meal. Then it would swim away back to eating. I kind of laughed to myself "you better watch out those are Assassins". Literally five minutes later I took this picture.

I have no idea how a "fast" shrimp could fall prey to a snail. It was active and eating immediately prior. The only thing I can assume is that assassin snails release some sort of attracting scent which lures prey in some way.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

This has happened to me nearly every time I've kept Assassins with shrimp. Just not worth it.


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## mjbn (Dec 14, 2011)

This makes me sad:O


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## Destroyer551 (Dec 1, 2009)

Happened to one of mine.

This time it was a male cherry who was grazing on an assassin snail's shell. I literally watched the snail adminster the bite. They have a tube like mouth that extends from right between their eyes, and I watched this sneak around the shrimp until it finally struck the shrimp in the swimerettes. It flicked away and was paralyzed and milky white within 30 minutes. I put it in a breeder net and it recovered a week later.


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## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

I removed the snails just after this. My assumption was that this was a myth. Well, I won't be keeping assassin snails with shrimp again. It wasn't dead or dying. I saw it with my own eyes. Although it was interesting the shrimp was so attracted to the snail just prior to this.


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## Destroyer551 (Dec 1, 2009)

Zorfox said:


> I removed the snails just after this. My assumption was that this was a myth. Well, I won't be keeping assassin snails with shrimp again. It wasn't dead or dying. I saw it with my own eyes. Although it was interesting the shrimp was so attracted to the snail just prior to this.


Like somewhatshocked said, unless it's a bunch of cherry shrimp, it's just not worth it.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I've even have Assassins gang up on large Pomacea diffusa. No fun at all.

It's part of the reason I always try to talk to people about what's causing their snail population explosion (if that's why they're keeping Assassins) instead of adding something they don't really need to their tanks.


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## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

somewhatshocked said:


> I've even have Assassins gang up on large Pomacea diffusa. No fun at all.


That's amazing. Snails seemingly cooperating in predation. I had no idea something like this was possible until today. A snail preying on a quick moving shrimp, really? I would have bet the farm it wasn't possible. Mother nature truly is a wonder.


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## blink (Feb 22, 2012)

Zorfox said:


> That's amazing. Snails seemingly cooperating in predation. I had no idea something like this was possible until today. A snail preying on a quick moving shrimp, really? I would have bet the farm it wasn't possible. Mother nature truly is a wonder.


Nature can kick some butt... Yeah, it's science for kids, but it's good reading.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/04/a-plant-enemys-enemy/


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## vvDO (Oct 18, 2010)

I can almost swear my assassin snails killed 2 of my C. habrosus. They are fairly easy prey since they sit on the substrate motionless. I immediately removed both and no deaths since.


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## triscene (Apr 7, 2012)

vvDO said:


> I can almost swear my assassin snails killed 2 of my C. habrosus. They are fairly easy prey since they sit on the substrate motionless. I immediately removed both and no deaths since.


Come on..this snail and eating fish? I have them with pygmeus and habrosus and no issues. They will just consume them when dead already.

Odoslané z môjho R800i


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## Destroyer551 (Dec 1, 2009)

triscene said:


> Come on..this snail and eating fish? I have them with pygmeus and habrosus and no issues. They will just consume them when dead already.
> 
> Odoslané z môjho R800i


It is believeable.

A small cory sleeping on the subtrate is literally a sitting duck. You have to remember assassin snails also have venemous properties to their salivia or something of the sort, so a well placed bite can paralyze and do some internal damage to an unsuspecting creature.


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## musician71604 (May 5, 2012)

I've wondered the same thing becasue I had several habrosus die and then found a hitchhiker assassin and removed him. Once removed, I've had no other habrosus deaths.


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## Lexinverts (Jan 17, 2012)

It seems to me that the shrimp vs. assassin encounters are likely relatively rare if you also have quite a few pest snails in the tank with the shrimp. 

Thus, I think that assassins can still be a decent way to take down a population of pest snails. Once there aren't any pest snails left, then you could remove the assassins. I've kept assassins with shrimp for quite a while, and I haven't seen what you observed yet. All of my tanks with assassins also had pest snail problems, so that's why I think assassins might prefer snail prey over shrimp.


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