Assassin Snail Care

[DrwHem]

I have a planted 60 gallon tank with about 20 fish in it. about a year ago i only had 1 rams-horn snail. Now i have around 35 to 40. A month ago i bought 2 assassin snails and one was DOA but the current one seems to be eating a few a week.

Does anyone have any idea how many assassin snails i would need to maintain a pop of rams horn snails around 5 to 10? I know the assassins eat about 3 a week but i have no clue of the breeding rate of the rams horns.

[CorydorasEthan]

Probably only around five at most. I had four for keeping Malaysian trumpet snails in check in a 10 gallon, and at first they were WAY too slow at eating snails so the number of trumpet snails went up and up (they were in the hundreds). But then, slowly, the tides turned when the assassin snails started to lay eggs in the substrate. Even the tiny baby assassins were effective! Pretty soon (maybe around three months), there were a ton of assassin snails and little to no trumpet snails left.

For your situation, maybe only a couple more assassins will be fine.

[lefty o]

id lean towards a half dozen.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

I had 5.  I added 50+ ramshorns.  Within 6 months, I had no ramshorns.  To keep the assassins going I had to keep a separate colony of ramshorns.  The assassins had no interest in the nerites that snuck in with the ramshorns.  That was a shame.  I thought the pond snails had been eliminated as well, but when the assassins were removed to my great amazement the pond snails returned!