# Nerite snails vs assassin snails



## J.Shields (Feb 2, 2011)

I've read that nerite snails are very effective in eliminating green spot algae and I'm about to get one. On the other hand, I have about +30 assassin snails in my 75 gallon tank because they have bred on two occasions. Has anyone kept the two species in the same tank? The nerite snail is about 5 times bigger than any assassin snail in the tank.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

If the assassins don't have any other prety available they will go after nerites. However, of you have pond or ramshorns they go after those first since the way nerites angle their bodies makes it hard for assassins to liquify them. Assassins can even take down apple snails.


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## J.Shields (Feb 2, 2011)

diwu13 said:


> If the assassins don't have any other prety available they will go after nerites. However, of you have pond or ramshorns they go after those first since the way nerites angle their bodies makes it hard for assassins to liquify them. Assassins can even take down apple snails.


Wow, that's scary.:icon_conf


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

I breed assassin snails and I keep nerites in their tank. I have never found a nerite snail killed by an assassin.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

garfieldnfish said:


> I breed assassin snails and I keep nerites in their tank. I have never found a nerite snail killed by an assassin.


Are there other snails in that tank?

I mean there's always exceptions to the rule. Like people who put bettas with their shrimp and find their betta isn't going after their shrimp at all. Then the other 95% of the people say "DO NOT PUT BETTA WITH SHRIMP!!" Same thing with angelfish and shrimp. You could get lucky and end up with vegan assassins. That, or you just wasted money buying expensive nerite food for your assassins.


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

MTSs and every now and then I toss in a pond snail from my plant clipping tank. Those are food snails for them but they do not mess with the nerites.


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## Cardinal Tetra (Feb 26, 2006)

Nerites and assassins have worked fine for me even when there were no food snails for the assassins. Nerites are simply too big, strong, and they have opercula to protect themselves.

Why don't you try it yourself, Diwu?


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## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

I have had assassinstake down nerites. I have had them gang up in groups to do so.

I never recommend keeping assassin snails with snails you intend to keep alive.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

From other posts on this forum.

From Liam:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/s...assassin-snail-few-questions.html#post1243392


> 1) they eat nerites and mystery snails too... Or at least kill them and eat PART of them.





> my assassins killed japanese trapdoor snails which were at least 3 times larger than them.
> 
> and i've heard many times they'll eat nerites once they run out of MTS and ramshorns


Apparently they even go after shrimp if there's nothing else to eat


> Oh, I have 5 assassins in a 20g with cherry shrimp. I forget to drop snails in there for them sometimes, and they'll take down a shrimp. If I want to watch them eat a snail, I just go grab a medium sized ramshorn and toss it into the tank. They come running(?) from each direction and descend like hungry vultures. The poor ramshorn doesn't have a chance. It's funny to because there's two dominant snails and they'll push their way right into the ramshorn, shoving the others away.


From one of the mods
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/g...assin-snails-kill-my-nerites.html#post1132933


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Or listen to Rachel :]


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## Cardinal Tetra (Feb 26, 2006)

Strange. My assassins starved to death and got eaten by shrimp before they killed any nerites or shrimp. Maybe those were weak/sick/dying nerites and shrimp. Everyone has a different experience these days:icon_roll


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I wasn't trying to say you guys were wrong, just that you two were exceptions to the cases. Vegan assassins?


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## J.Shields (Feb 2, 2011)

Humm, mixed results, I see. I can't tell you anything about nerites vs assassins but I from my own experience I can say that my assassins haven't killed any of the cherry shrimps. I too, every once in a while throw in a couple of ramshorn snails and they immediately get ambushed by the assassins but at the same time they don't show any interest for the cone-shaped snails (forgot their names). 

I was really hoping to get a nerite snail to munch on the green spot algae on the leaves of slow growing plants:icon_sad:


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Try some amano shrimp. Those shrimps are algae eating beasts.


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## bamaman (Jan 9, 2018)

Personally I have kept them both together for years but have never had a nerite killed by one but like you said EVERYONE has different experiences 

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