Assassin snail is a popular aquatic snail among aquarium hobbyists. They are known as carnivores.
So if you are a new aquarist or thinking about keeping some assassin snails in your tank, definitely one question makes you concerned: do assassin snails eat shrimp?
This question’s answer is a little bit tricky. Assassin snails love to eat shrimp.
But they do not eat all kinds of shrimp unless they are not too hungry. In some cases they might kill and eat your shrimp.
Hence here this answer is explained broadly. From here you will know when they can eat the shrimp and which can be their tankmate and which can’t.
So read this article till the end so that you do not miss any information.
Let’s start explaining.
Do Assassin Snails Eat Shrimp?
It is true that the assassin snail eats shrimp. But it is disclosed by many aquarists that in most of the cases these snails do not feed any live shrimp. They mainly eat dead shrimp.
Because if you compare between the freshwater snail and shrimp you will see that snails are slow moving creatures whether or not shrimp are slow in their risk time.
Hence a mature, healthy and fast moving shrimp can not be catched by the snails. Yet if your shrimp is not healthy it can be the snail’s food.
Though many times if there is not enough food for the snail in your aquarium they will not care about the shrimp condition.
They will attack the live shrimp. And they will be able to eat the shrimp if it is weak and moving slowly.
For these reasons most of the time you will notice that most of the shrimp breeders who have expensive shrimp avoid keeping assassin snails and their shrimp in the same tank.
Do Assassin Snails Eat Shrimp Eggs or Baby Shrimp?
Assassin snails can not eat shrimp eggs but they can eat the baby shrimp. Because size matters between baby shrimp and assassin snails.
If we compare the size between the snail and the shrimp we will see that the shrimp are smaller than the snail and in some cases they can be similar to the snails.
So the shrimp can be a good meal for snails if it feels any health issues and moves slowly.
As well as most of the time shrimp eggs remain untouched for the snails. Because shrimp do not lay their eggs until the hatching period comes close. They always keep the eggs on them.
Assassin Snails Tank Mates
Bottom dwellers: Loaches, catfish, corydoras, plecos.
Peaceful fish: Rasboras, tetras, angelfish, gouramis.
Snails: Mystery snails, nerite snails, ramshorn snails.
Which Shrimp Species Should Keep Away From Assassin Snails?
You will not get any exact shrimp species which can live with your assassin snails. Because these snails are carnivorous.
So aquarium owners do not want to take any risk about their expensive shrimp. They mostly avoid keeping their shrimp with the assassin snails.
Normally, most of the time baby shrimp face the molting as they are not matured. Whether mature shrimp face this issue a few times.
Hence if baby shrimp face any health issue or injury they become the snail food.
So if you want to avoid decreasing the amount of your shrimp do not keep your assassin snails and juvenile shrimp in the same tank.
Which shrimp species can be a good tank mate for assassin snails?
Most of the time aquarists recommend that assassin snails and expensive shrimp should not be kept in the same tank.
So if you question which shrimp type can be kept with these snails? the answer will be the shrimp which are not expensive means cheaper shrimp.
Also each and every type of the shrimp species can survive with the assassin snails.
Can Assassin Snails and Shrimp be Good Tank Mates?
It’s already disclosed that assassin snails eat shrimp though most of the time they eat dead shrimp and sometimes baby shrimp as mature shrimp are fast moving.
But do they be good tank mates? Yes they can be a good tank mate.
You can keep the amano, cherry, viper, bamboo or ghost shrimp species as a tank mate with your snails.
As well as if you follow some steps to make them coexist it will be a good idea. The steps are:
Keep Healthy Shrimp
Healthy and mature shrimp are more active and fast than a baby shrimp. As snails are slow they can not catch and consume a strong and fast moving shrimp.
So if you keep well developed shrimp in your tank it can easily survive with the snails.
Remove and recover the ill shrimp: Snails can easily catch and consume the ill and injured shrimp.
If you notice that there are any sick shrimp remove it and do not put it again until it recovers well.
Feed Properly
If your snail feels hungry it will attack your shrimp and make it his meal. At the hungry period, it will not care about the shrimp types at all. So always try to keep your snails well feeded.
Supply live food: Assassin snails love to eat live foods. You can add a few brine shrimp and bloodworms as their live food source.
What do assassin snails eat in the tank?
Assassin snails are carnivorous and primarily feed on other snail species. They use their pointed proboscis to drill into the shells of their prey and consume their soft bodies. They also feed on dead or decaying organic matter.
They are opportunistic feeders and will hunt and eat snails as long as they are available in the tank. When prey is scarce, they can survive on a diet of algae and plant matter.
Assassin snails are familiar as carnivorous and opportunistic eaters. They are not algae eaters like other snails. They like to see various types of meat in their diet.
As they are scavengers, if they find any leftover meat in their way they will consume it. So you can put in some meat related food to satisfy their desire.
Besides shrimp also you can give some freeze dried meals, frozen blood worms, meaty wafers, fish flakes and carnivore pellets.
FAQs
How do Assassin Snails Hunt Their Prey?
Assassin snails hunt by using a specialized, pointed proboscis that they use to drill into the shells of other snails and consume their soft bodies.
They also feed on dead or decaying matter, and can be kept in aquariums to control snail populations.
Are Assassin Snails Venomous?
No, assassin snails are not venomous.
How do Assassin Snails Eat?
Assassin snails hunt and eat other snails and dead or decaying matter in their environment.
They use a specialized, pointed proboscis to drill into the shells of other snails and consume their soft bodies.
Do assassin snails help to control shrimp population?
If you experience that there are too many baby shrimp in your tank you can put some assassin snails to assist you to control the shrimp population.
It will feed all weak and sick shrimp from your tank. As well as also eat the shrimp eggs, juvenile shrimp and fry from the overpopulated tank.
Moreover, adding some of the assassin snails in the overpopulated tank not only helps to decrease the number of baby shrimp but also minimize the amount of injured and sick shrimp.
As well as if there are too many little pest snails it can be minimized for assassin snails.
In conclusion, Assassin snails are not like other aquatic snails. They do not like to eat algae and plants. They love to see meat in their diet chart. If you notice their eating habits you will see that they mostly eat meaty food such as pest snails. Hence it will eat your shrimp.
Though they do not eat all types of shrimp, they must attack if they feel hungry. As well as being a slow moving creature they are not able to eat your active, mature and fast moving shrimp. Also it will help you to overcome the overpopulation issue of your tank.
Additionally if you want to keep the assassin snail and shrimp together first you have to ensure that you feed your snails properly and do not keep them hungry.
Then ensure that all of your shrimp are mature and healthy, if they feel any health issue remove them from the tank as soon as possible. And do not put it on again until it recovers from illness.
