If you have assassin snails, chances are you have an ongoing snail overpopulation problem in your tank. After 2 to 3 months give or take, the killer snails will control the pest problem effectively and feed themselves in the process. Assassin snails survive by eating pest snails daily, but when supply is low, other options must be employed. And sometimes, even unconventional alternatives.
Assassin snails indeed eat algae. Aside from being carnivores, they also graze on plant-based leftovers, algae, and decaying matter. However, they don’t necessarily seek these options as it is not a sustainable food source for them. You must target-feed your killer snails alongside letting them graze on algae else they fall sick and die.
In this article, we’ll be reviewing the intricacies of assassin snails feeding on algae and how to feed them properly, keeping them healthy and happy at all times.
Will Assassin Snails Eat My Tank Algae?
Assassin snails will eat tank algae when they’re bored, moving around the tank, or outrightly starving. However, if you’re hoping your assassin snails will regulate your algae problem, you’re in for a big surprise! They’re extremely poor algae eaters since their diet is mostly carnivorous. If you have an algae problem, perhaps consider nerite snails to do the job. Cherry shrimps and ghost shrimps are well-known algae eaters, too. But you must remove the assassin snails, otherwise they will kill off the algae-eating snails and some of the shrimp for good measure!
5 Reasons Why Assassin Snails Are Terrible Algae Eaters
If you’ve fallen under the misconception that all aquatic snails are good algae eaters, debunking that assumption will take you down a rabbit hole. Allow me to explain why assassin snails are bad at eating algae.
1. Simple Anatomy
The anatomy of assassin snails enables their radula to scrape instead of bite which is best applicable to the flesh of animals rather than plants. Thus the reason why they wouldn’t choose algae over their prey. Whereas omnivorous snails like mystery snails are adapted to biting off fibrous tissue with their radula giving them the option of enjoying an algae meal.
2. Nutritional Requirements
Assassin snails majorly require a protein diet to survive. They can survive without eating algae and still be healthy as they get equivalent nutrients present in algae from their prey, but cannot survive without a protein source. Feeding frequently on algae will simply lead to malnutrition and then other illnesses that affect the growth of their shells and muscles inherently leading to death. Basically, your assassin snails consider the lack of profit whenever they come across algae but will eat it anyway to survive.
3. The Lack Of Specific Gut Enzymes
Algae contains a type of alcohol called mannitol that when consumed, is broken down to sugars and later used up as energy. Unfortunately, the enzyme required to break down this alcohol is low in assassin snails as compared to plant-eating snails like mystery snails. This then makes algae tedious for assassins to digest and will yield little to no nutritional value since they don’t have the tools to process and utilize it. It’s just like being lactose intolerant therefore lacking enough or entirely the enzyme lactase to help you digest dairy products.
4. Energy Efficiency
Assassin snails adapt to gaining energy from feeding on prey as opposed to plant-based foods. Thus, their biological makeup encourages them to seek food like algae as a last resort. With time, carnivorous snails that turn to plant-based foods will weaken and forcefully enter aestivation to preserve energy.
Aestivation is simply a state of immobility and reduced metabolism, similar to hibernation, that allows snails to endure tough times for as long as possible. It could be triggered by a lack of resources like the proper food for your assassin snails or an unhealthy environment. Conclusively, your assassin snail will prefer to aestivate rather than eat algae for too long.
5. Sensory Abilities
Snails are one of the simple creatures that live to feed and breed. They live their fullest each day by eating successfully and are hardwired to find their kind of food. Assassin snails go after slime trails and other bodily chemicals excreted by their prey, and herbivorous snails pursue the plant-based organic compounds they can perceive.
Subsequently, assassin snails mostly find algae by chance. It’s not part of their instinct to consciously seek algae to feed on. This generally describes the strengths and weaknesses of either species of aquatic snails and explains why they’re terrible at eating algae.
What Do Assassin Snails Eat? 4 Items They Enjoy
Assassin snails eat more protein than anything else. Their diet is heavily protein-based to support their metabolism and growth. Although they may graze on algae, feeding them the following items is necessary for keeping your snails healthy.
Live Snails
Assassin snails are infamous for reducing snail populations. They will actively hunt and kill their prey to feed which is their primary source of food in the wild and there are several ways to get these live snails. You can either breed them yourself, get them from your local fish store, or fetch a few from nearby ponds around you. Local stores usually donate excess hatchlings for free. However, the problem with collecting live feeder snails is storing them for as long as you have them.
The method that works for me is placing them in a separate smaller container if they’re alive to give the assassin snails the benefit of hunting, or popping them in the fridge submerged in water if they’re dead. If you’re wondering why I don’t just throw them in the tank with the assassin snails, it’s because pest snails overpopulate and mess up the tank fast.
Despite being algae eaters, they will poop and lay eggs everywhere leaving you with more work on your hands. If you don’t want to deal with the extra problems, just like me, stick to separate tanks and collect fresh snails from the fish store when necessary.
Fish Flakes Or Pellets
Assassin snails also enjoy fish food now and then. They’re scavengers and they spend most of their time scouting for proteinous remains, like the leftovers from feeding your fish. If you have a certain amount of pallets you feed your fish, you can throw in extra for your assassin snails to eat and they’d happily feast on them.
Strips Of Fresh Fish Or Meat
Strips of blandly boiled chicken or salmon are also nutritious choices for your carnivorous snails. Boiling makes it faster and easier for them to consume, but you must ensure there are no spices present. Spices are dangerous to snails because their digestive tract is simple and void of the enzymes necessary to break down aromatic compounds. So, throw in a few tiny strips now and then until they’re satisfied, and ensure you remove any leftovers to prevent the food from decaying and polluting their environment.
Decaying Matter
Now, I do not advise you to feed your assassin snails decaying foods in your well-cycled tank. Decaying foods produce ammonia that is dangerous to the inhabitants of your aquarium, which is why you need to remove leftovers.
However, this doesn’t negate the fact that assassin snails do eat decaying foods and are even wired to perceive them from a distance. In the wild, the ammonia produced by decaying matter is broken down into nitrites and nitrates by plants and bacteria, which your aquarium may not be able to compete with. Even if you have some plants and bacteria to break down ammonia in your tank, not all the ammonia is consumed which in the long run puts your pets in danger.
How Do I Target-Feed Pest Snails To Assassin Snails?
Assassin snails never eat more than they need to, which even makes rationing easier to do. If you’re opting for live snails, it would depend on the size of the feeder snails and the number of assassins you’re feeding. If the snail is just as big as your assassins, one feeder per killer snail a day will do. They eat slowly and sometimes take the whole day to finish their weight in prey. Also, they will eat until just the shell is left! If the snails are smaller, you can throw in more after they have consumed each portion. At most, two to three baby snails do the trick.
The reason most caregivers put strict rules on feeding regularly is because of the ammonia buildup. More feeding means more pooping, and thus, more water changing. If you prefer to feed your snails frequently, you must have a water testing kit at hand (view on Amazon) to ensure that water parameters like ammonia, pH, and kH are in check, and also be ready to perform necessary water changes.
What Do I Do With Assassin Snails That Won’t Eat Algae?
Assassin snails do not primarily eat algae, and sadly, the only way to get them to eat it is by starving them. If you have mistaken assassin snails for algae eaters and already have gotten them, you may consider giving them out to snail owners with pest snail problems. They are incredible predator snails that handle pest snail overpopulation superbly!
If you’re planning to introduce better algae eaters like nerite snails, I suggest you remove the assassin snails. It’s only a matter of luck whether your nerite snail gets devoured by assassins or not. Some owners I know have testified that both parties lived in harmony, while other owners attested to the assassins killing off the algae eaters despite their size. I wouldn’t recommend putting them together, but if you must, ensure the assassins are well-fed to reduce the chances of them attacking their “prey”.
