Dealing with snails will prove to you that there are no true patterns to follow and every experience may be entirely new to you despite your expertise. It doesn’t help that they’re individually different, and while there are collective characteristics known for their species, they can still vary in their own way. These differences can be a bit confusing for you, making it difficult to tell if your snail is in danger or not.
The easiest way to know whether your assassin snail is dead or not is by sniffing it. Snails smell horrible when they’re decaying; nothing could prepare you for that deathly whiff! If you notice your snail is lying too still, pick it up and give it a sniff, and that should do the trick immediately.
If you suspect that your assassin snail is dead, this discussion will help you solve your suspicions and provide tips on ways you can avoid such circumstances from happening in the future.
5 Ugly Signs That Prove Your Assassin Snail Is Dead
On a few occasions, the snail may be dead without emitting a foul odor immediately which could keep you even more confused. Nonetheless, there are other signs that dead snails display following their demise.
1. Duller Shells
Dulling of the shell is easier to notice if you have more assassin snails to compare to, but even if you don’t, you will find the yellow and black stripes to be less vibrant. Almost dulling to a cream and black. If the snail in particular that you suspect to be dead looks duller than usual, there’s a good chance your suspicions are correct. If not, it’s possibly on its way to dying already.
2. Immobility
Dying or dead snails will cease movement completely, even to turn themselves to the right position. For assassin snails, you’d find them unable to hide in the substrate as they usually would or refusing to move toward food at all. This could easily mean that the snail has passed away, but it could also mean that it’s lethargic. So, you will need more indications to determine if it’s truly dead.
3. Loose Trap Door
The trapdoor is a disc at the foot area that your assassin snail uses to close itself in its shell. This trapdoor protects the snail from danger and keeps the inside of the shell moist if it’s out of water. A loose operculum is a clear sign that the assassin snail has passed away. If you can see the inside of the shell, it means the trapdoor is faulty and your pal is 99% dead. In some cases, it completely disconnects from the shell and you can see the body falling out which will instantly solidify your suspicions.
4. Crowding By Other Snails
Most aquatic pets are detrivores, meaning they enjoy and derive nutrition from feeding on decaying matter. This is why you may not find the corpses of shell-less invertebrates in the tank—the other inhabitants will gobble them up! If your assassin snail is dead, it will attract other snails if there are any, or even aquarium fish to feast on it. At this point, you should brace yourself to get knocked out by the sniff test as it will most likely be dead.
5. An Unforgettably Horrid Smell
If your assassin snail is truly dead, you will not escape the stench of decay. Snails rot quickly when they die and the smell is worse than common rotten fish or the sort. This is why it’s always recommended to sniff the snail first to decide whether it’s dead.
The moment you discover any of the aforementioned signs, give the snail a sniff to decide whether it’s deceased or not so that you can remove the body. Rotting snails can funk up the entire tank before you know it, leaving you with the need to carry out a water change to prevent the rising ammonia from killing the tankmates.
Why Are My Assassin Snails Dying? The Reasons For Your Snails’ “Sudden Deaths”
I’ve come across several complaints of assassin snails dying from seemingly no obvious cause. One day they’re swimming around doing snaily stuff, and the other day they’re creepily still and unresponsive. You could be setting up your tank wrongly, which is unknowingly affecting your snails, and we’d figure it out in a minute.
Poor Acclimation
Assassin snails, like many aquatic snails, need to be properly introduced to their new tank. Acclimating is a way of getting your new snails comfortable with the water chemistry of your tank before you plop them in. When the differences in the habitats are too apparent for the snail, it will lead to shock which further leads to sudden death. The best acclimation technique for snails is the drip method, and I have explained the easiest way to go about it down below!
Excessive Stress
Stress is also a common cause of sudden death among snails. An overcrowded tank, filled with tankmates and rather expressive aquarium plants, can contribute to your predatory snails feeling stressed. When prolonged, accumulated stress will dwindle the health of your snail until it simply dies from it.
Aggressive Tankmates
Bettas and Loaches are notorious for nipping at aquarium snails to the extent that they get severely injured or die from it. Assassin snails may be hardy most of the time, but injuries are in themselves too far a stretch for your pets. For example, biting off the siphon can easily kill your assassin snail if the aggressor takes a huge bite. The snail might live for a few days or a few hours, but it will come to an end if the injury is severe. If your pet survives and the assault goes on, it could meet the same ugly fate from accumulated stress.
Wrong Parameters
Assassin snails need to be kept in specific water parameters for them to live long. The water hardness, acidity, and temperature are all to be prioritized and adjusted to mimic their natural habitat. Depending on where you live, you must adjust your snail’s new environment before introducing them into the tank, or else they will die.
In addition, it’s crucial to understand that different aquarium pets have different necessities. If your aquarium is home to already existing inhabitants, ensure that you set the parameters in a way either species can survive in it. Just like meeting in the middle of a Venn diagram.
Improper Diet
Assassin snails are carnivorous animals and they need to be fed accordingly. Feeder snails, blood worms, shrimp, and pieces of fish are all good sources of the protein your little predators need. If you subject your pets to algae, they will die in two weeks! It’s critical to ensure that your snails are eating the correct diet under your care at all times.
Lack Of Calcium
Calcium is mandatory for your assassin snails to grow strong shells. Without it, they will be subjected to shell rot, erosion, and collapse which are all fatal to different degrees. In this case, your snail may not die suddenly but will endure its whole life struggling with a weak protective shell that busts open with every crack. It’s a painful and slow death for the unfortunate crawler.
How To Prevent Your Assassin Snails From Dying Frequently
If you value your killer pets, their lifespan should be your priority. Your snails might have met confusing and sad deaths in the past, but you will prevent any further from happening by following these steps:
1. Acclimate Your Assassin Snails Properly
If you are introducing your killer snails to a different environment, you must acclimate them to prevent shock which can kill them. Here’s how to go about it:
- Ensure that your tank has the proper water parameters to house an assassin snail, including a sandy substrate where the snail can burrow.
- Place the assassin snail in a container with the water it was delivered in (it was probably delivered in a plastic container or a plastic bag with water to keep it alive), or you can place the whole bag in the container and clip the opening to the container to keep the bag from spilling away.
- Tie knots on the airline or place a valve to help monitor the flow of the water through the airline. You need a drop per second for your snail including a little suction to bring the water through the pipe.
- Put one end of the airline into the tank and the other end into the container holding the assassin snail.
- Once the drops of tank water fill the bag holding the snail, reduce the water from the snail by half and begin the process of filling the bag again. This would take up to 2 hours or sooner to complete. In the end, you can introduce your fully acclimated snail into its new tank.
2. Keep Your Assassin Snails With Suitable Tankmates
Finding suitable tankmates for your aquarium pets is necessary if you want them to survive. In the same way, nerite snails are in danger around assassin snails, your killer mollusks are in danger of carnivorous aquarium fish like bettas and loaches. Instead, opt for algae-eating fish such as Siamese algae eaters and cherry barbs. You must consider the different water parameters for either species ensuring that they can live in the same home.
Here are the water parameters your snails need to survive:
| Parameters | Ideal Range |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 70 – 80 (°F) |
| pH | 7.6 – 8.0 |
| Ammonia (NH3/NH4+) | 0 |
| Nitrite (NO2-) | 0 |
| Nitrate (NO3-) | 0 |
| Copper (Cu) | 0 |
| Water hardness | 150 – 300 ppm |
| Salinity | 0 |
3. Feed Your Assassin Snails The Appropriate Diet
As we have discussed earlier, feeder snails, bloodworms, and strips of fish like raw salmon are all perfect options for assassin snails. They enjoy feeding daily, but I suggest feeding them just once a day to prevent the tank from getting soiled frequently. In addition, you must constantly have cuttlefish bone or eggshells inside the aquarium to provide calcium for your snails. This will ensure that they grow healthy consistent exteriors all through and prevent the possibility of dying from shell problems in the long run.
How Long Do Assassin Snails Live For?
Assassin snails can live for as long as 4 years under the right circumstances. However, the average life expectancy of a healthy snail is 1 to 2 years. If you follow through with our discussion, providing your snail with the right environment and diet at all times including a constant supply of calcium, your little predator could outlive the average expectancy.
