"assassin" Snails?

[x-sarah-x]

so i got two "assassin" snails from my lfs a few weeks ago. but they dont appear to be doing anything??? ive not seen them eat any of the other snails in my tank. is there any way i can encorage then to eat the other snails at all? also, im gettin quite a lot od snails now, ive been trying to pick them out. if i put snail treatment into my tank, would that kill my assassin snails too?

x

 

[Curiosity101]

Have you tried any other techniques for catching snails? Such as putting a saucer or something at the bottom of the tank with some veg n such on it...cucumber is recommended. Leave it overnight and hopefully the snails should be drawn to it. Pick off your assassin snails, and dispose of the pest snails. Also there is a possibility that your assassin snails are eating the pest snails but that the pet snails are in such large numbers that this isn't obvious.

 

[saltynay]

Assassin snail are only a preventative measure mine are in their simply to regulate pest snail numbers. I have mainly noticed them hunting in the evening when its difficult to see in the tank but even then its quite rare to see them kill just keep looking. What pest snails do you have as some have "trapdoors" which cover there shell opening so my assassins tend to avoid those species and go for the easier targets.

 

[x-sarah-x]

my lfs told me to hand a piece of lettuce in the tank and said that in the morning the snails would be all over it but it didnt happen. ill try again with some cucumber though.

i think they are tadpole snails after having a quick look on the internet... im not too sure though?

they really annoy me!! i used to put treatment in before i got my assassin snails (im now too worried the treatment will kill them too so i dont use it anymore) and a few hours later id come back to check on my tank to find them all socializing just above the water level (probably laughing at me) they'd stay there till i had to do maintance on my tank and change the water and then off they went again... to ruin all my live plants and populate some more.

i dont like them at all... i find them quite rude.

 

[milkton]

i got 1 assassin snail and put it in my 2.5gallon tank, it cleared ALL the pest snails in about 5 days! I actually saw it eat a ramshorn snail. It crawls on top of it, and it retracts its mouth (the long thing) and that all u can see. after maybe 5-10 minutes it crawls away and all thats left is an empty shell.

I guess it depends on luck because all snails have different personalities so if u get a really dull one, try returnin it for another... haha

 

[saltynay]

i got 1 assassin snail and put it in my 2.5gallon tank, it cleared ALL the pest snails in about 5 days! I actually saw it eat a ramshorn snail. It crawls on top of it, and it retracts its mouth (the long thing) and that all u can see. after maybe 5-10 minutes it crawls away and all thats left is an empty shell.

I guess it depends on luck because all snails have different personalities so if u get a really dull one, try returnin it for another... haha

Ramshorns are particularly small snails usually so only a light snack mine actively seek out the pond snails and gang up on the larger ones then fast for a day and do it all again the next.