Assasin Explosion

[Munroco]

What happens to assassins when they have eaten all the other snails in a tank. They are all over my tank atm, maybe they are hunting in which case they will be disappointed, they killed of the other snails 2-3 weeks ago.

 

[RRaquariums]

They will slowly starve and die. They may hunt each other but yeah ultramitly they will not make it.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Sell them off. In the meantime, dropping in some sinking pellets will keep them fed, just make it meaty pellets... Shrimp pellets, for example.

 

[Arcticfox1977]

I have assassin snails in my tank. There are no other snails for them. They move around quite happily. I've probably had them for 6-10 months now.

 

[fluttermoth]

As eagles rightly says, assassins will take meaty foods; they don't need to eat other snails exclusively.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I have had assassin snails for nearly 2 years, I do add some pond/common snails every once in a while, but generally they will eat the sinking micro pellet food and algae wafers i feed for the fish and shrimps.
 
So,  as others have already said, they do not just eat other snails though of course thats what they probably prefer

 

[TwoTankAmin]

You might want to check out this thread http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/419951-welcome-to-the-assassins-banquet/

 

[Meeresstille]

From what I have observed with my tanks, your tank will find its balance between whatever food they find and number of snails. They eat any food, not only snails. I was actually told to feed my fish sparingly while I was trying to get the assassins to deal with my pond snail problem because if other foods are available to the assassins they may not need to go hunting for the other snails.
 
I had an explosion of assassins in my tank too, sometime after they had finished off the last pond snails. I see a lot less of my assassins now, but it seems the number has been steady for months (somewhere between 15 and 20 I had never taken the time to get an accurate number).

 

[Munroco]

They'll probably find their own level then, I'll just leave them too it. At least they are more decorative than pond and ramshorn snails

 

[TwoTankAmin]

That was a 45 gal tank in the pics. I put in about 12 to 15 assassins in two additions within a several week period. That tank (which was my very 1st) sprang a leak and was taken down. I removed over 150 assassins, most of which were buried in the 3 inches of gravel.
 
Over all from those initial snails I have produced about 300 all told. That is in about 2.5 years. I have sold a tank and contents which sent out about 50 snails.
 
For me they reproduce like rabbits. I collect snails from breeding/growout tanks to feed them as a treat now.

 

[stanleo]

If you want snails for them to eat, most aquarium or pet stores will give you pest snails out of their tanks for free. My old LFS was happy to do it for me. But yeah, it was my experiance that they will eat left over food like other snails.