Don’t let the name fool you, assassin snails aren’t dangerous (unless you’re another snail). Rather, these snails make valuable additions to the freshwater cleanup crew, especially in tanks where bladder snails, ramshorn snails, or other pest snails have taken over. But what do you feed assassin snails once they’ve gotten the problem under control?
In this guide, we’ll explore the natural diet of assassin snails and what they eat in the home aquarium. Keep reading to learn what does the assassin snail eat and how to care for these snails in your own tank.
Natural Diet of Assassin Snails
Assassin snails (Clea helena) are sometimes called bumblebee snails in reference to their dark-and-light striped shells, which reach up to an inch long. This carnivorous species spends its time wandering around in search of food, using its tubelike siphon to “sniff” around and sift through substrate.
The assassin snail’s primary food source is other freshwater snails. This species tends to prey upon smaller pest snails like bladder snails, ramshorn snails, and trumpet snails. When given the opportunity, however, they’ll also eat decaying organic matter as well as fish eggs and newly hatched fry. Like most snails, they’re opportunistic feeders, but they also earn their name by hunting down other snails in the area.
What Else Do Assassin Snails Eat?
In many cases, aquarium hobbyists introduce assassin snails in an effort to control populations of pest snails. If your tank is overrun with ramshorn snails, for example, adding a few assassin snails can help take care of them without adding to the snail overpopulation problem. This is because assassin snails don’t breed nearly as quickly as ramshorns or bladder snails. They’re not hermaphrodites, so both a male and female snail are required for reproduction.
Assassin snails will happily hunt down pest snails in your tank. If the supply runs low, however, you’ll need to provide supplemental food sources. Just about any protein-rich live, frozen, or dry food will work as long as it sinks so your snails can find it. Offer small amounts of various foods to keep your assassin snails well-fed, and don’t forget to include mineral supplements to support healthy shell growth, particularly if your tank water is soft.
Do Assassin Snails Eat Other Tank Mates?
Though assassin snails will prey on small pest snails without a second thought, they pose little threat to other tank mates. That being said, assassin snails have been known to take down larger species like mystery snails and nerite snails. They generally need the help of a group to do so, however, and they don’t tend to target their own kind.
Assassin snails may also eat freshwater dwarf shrimp, but usually only if the shrimp is already sick, dead, or vulnerable due to a recent molt. Adult shrimp typically move faster than assassin snails, though shrimplets might be a little easier to catch. Keeping your assassin snails well-fed may reduce the risk that they’ll prey on shrimp.
Healthy aquarium fish are unlikely to be bothered by assassin snails. If a fish is already dead or near death (and has sunk to the bottom of the tank), assassin snails may take the opportunity to feed, but they’re unlikely to hunt down or successfully catch active fish.
How Often Should You Feed Assassin Snails?
There’s no set formula when it comes to feeding assassin snails. This species will naturally seek out pest snails to prey upon, and adult snails may only need to eat one or two similarly sized snails per day. Some snails will scavenge for leftover fish or shrimp food even if pest snails are readily available, so it could take weeks or even months to deplete or noticeably decrease the population of pest snails in some tanks.
If your assassin snails eliminate the pest snail population, you’ll need to provide supplemental food sources to prevent starvation. Offer small amounts of protein-heavy foods like frozen bloodworms or sinking carnivore pellets once or twice a day, depending on how many assassin snails you have in the tank.
When feeding assassin snails, it’s important to maintain balance in your tank. Too much food breaking down will negatively impact water quality, and you might not be able to count on your assassin snails to eat leftover fish food if pest snails are readily available.
Benefits of Assassin Snails in Your Tank
Still not sure whether assassin snails are a good fit for your tank? To help you decide, here’s a quick overview of some of the benefits:
-
Assassin snails are very low-maintenance, especially if you already have a population of pest snails in the tank for them to feed on.
-
They’re a great way to keep numbers of fast-breeding species like bladder snails, ramshorn snails, and trumpet snails under control.
-
Assassin snails can help support natural ecosystem balance in your tank by scavenging leftover fish food and dead organic matter.
-
They help aerate the substrate with their burrowing behavior, which can help prevent pockets of anaerobic gas from forming.
-
Assassin snails are generally compatible with shrimp, healthy fish, and aquarium plants (their preferred prey is limited to similarly sized snails).
Don’t forget that assassin snails also make a visually striking addition to the home aquarium. Their eye-catching pattern stands out against the green of aquarium plants, and their predatory behavior can be quite fascinating to watch.
Final Thoughts
True to their name, assassin snails are predatory by nature. They’ll hunt down other snails in your tank, which makes them incredibly useful when it comes to controlling pest snail populations. Keep in mind, however, that you may need to provide supplemental food sources as pest snail numbers start to dwindle.
Explore Shrimpy Business’ selection of snail foods and mineral supplements to help support a thriving aquarium ecosystem!