The Puffer Forum

Well I did a water change on my Mbu tank today and I've found another lovely little surprise for me in the substrate (you may remember that the last thing I found in the substrate was worms, that I still don't believe are planaria) - this time snails. I am not certain, so I hope someone can help me here, but I think they are assassin snails. The reason I think that is because they are shaped like them, and also because I've been noticing empty snail shells - which I am not happy about because they were expensive snails. I didn't give it much thought at first, just blamed it on the puffer, but thinking about it a little more today it came to me that if BeeBoo were eating those snails, the shell should be cracked, not just an empty shell -- and that's why I think it's assassin snails.

I made the mistake of buying snails from someone and there must have been assassin eggs or something because I don't remember even putting any snails with that shape shell in that tank, and they can't just appear from nowhere, and I've not added any new plants either. But now that I have them, or am almost sure that I have assassin snails, I want to know how to get rid of them. That's what gets me about people who buy these snails. They get them to get rid of a snail infestation, and the next thing you know, the other snails are gone, yes ... but you've replaced one infestation for another! I've been seeing oodles of them at different LFS's and I don't intend to let mine get out of control like that. I've read that it takes a male and a female to reproduce, unlike the ramshorn who don't need any other snails but themselves to multiply -- does anyone know if that's true? If it is true, then maybe if I keep removing them, it will be harder and harder for them to multiply.

I do not feel very good about having them in my tank! And you'd think, if they are there, that maybe they'd eat those worms in my substrate!

Get BeeBoo hungry?

Isn't the shell too hard for a puffer?

Is this your guy?

Well if they're assassin snails then their population will be controlled by the amount of prey. They shouldn't take over your tank at all. If the population has exploded and all the other snails are gone then their population should crash shortly.

That's the right shape, but the colouring is different on the one I just fished out of the tank. Maybe it's a MTS? They look similar right?

Yep, are they mostly under your substrate during the day?

Assassins have that yellow band usually. (AFAIK all do but I am no expert)

I have 2 and love them. They help keep the snail population in check but at the moment they are vastly out numbered. Possibly a different kind of snail. And I don't know, but I thought Assassin snails were the only snails that ate other snails (actually hunting them down).

Other snails will eat snail eggs, and possibly newborn snails that happen to get in their way, but I'm pretty positive assassin snails are the only ones that seek out and murder mature snails for food.

Hmmm... well maybe it was just a coincidence with my other snails disappearing out of their shells, I don't know. I am certainly no snail expert, that's for sure.

And yes to the snails under the substrate. In fact, I didn't even know they were in the tank until I was doing a cleaning today and I always disturb the substrate and that's when I started seeing all these shells, with live snails inside.
And I just assumed they were assassin (but we all know what assuming does, don't we?).

in hind sight it might have been easier to post an ID thread with a pic That way we're all on the same page

Hindsight is my best sight! Sorry .... I posted this as an after-thought really. Just sitting here wondering about them, and thought I'd post a question. Of course, it's dark here now, so not a good time for taking photos. Again, sorry for any inconvenience caused.

**I just did a search on Google and found the snail in question, it's MTS. So what do I do about them, they will infest my tank, won't they? And I've heard that their shell is too hard to give to puffers.