Assassin Snail

About

The assassin snail is a small predatory freshwater snail with an attractive yellow-and-brown banded, conical shell, kept mainly as a natural control for nuisance snail populations. It ambushes and consumes bladder, ramshorn and Malaysian trumpet snails, and will also scavenge carrion and eat high-protein foods. Slow to reproduce — it lays single eggs rather than clutches — so it rarely becomes a pest itself, and it generally ignores healthy plants and fish, though it may take very small or weakened shrimp and shrimplets.

Care

Provide a soft sand substrate it can burrow into and hard, alkaline freshwater. Predatory on other snails and can pick off baby or weakened shrimp, but peaceful toward fish; breeds slowly. Copper-sensitive; feed protein foods once pest snails are depleted.

Diet

Carnivorous snail-hunter eating pest snails and carrion; supplement with bloodworms and other high-protein foods once the pest snail supply runs low to prevent starvation.

Sources

• Aquarium Co-Op – Assassin Snail Care Guide
• Seriously Fish – Anentome helena (Clea helena)