Assassin snail tank size?

[Loller]

Just curious, I was thinking about maybe breeding some in a 3 gallon tank.

[~firefly~]

That should be fine - just make sure they have a good supply of pond snails - or regular fish food. They are very slow growing so be patient.

[Loller]

Do they eat their own young? Also, are they male and female, or can breed with just 2. I remember somewhere seeing that snails can be both.

[richberstler]

I bought 6 for the same breeding question in my 20. I am curious EAT YOUNG vs SLOW GROWING, cuz it's been a few months. I could be even slower because my 20 seems out of snails except the occasional MTS, have a 10 gal growing food lol

[Trillianne]

They do need to be male and female, as they are two distinct sexes.

They are very slow to grow and burrow right after hatching until they gain some size. Cannibalization is rare if they have sufficient other foods present. It a bit hotly debated as to if they do or do not... they definitely will eat a dead animal (fish or snails) and they will definitely prefer other snail types to their own type.

[~firefly~]

I've never seen active cannibalism in assassins, I've seen young and adults feeding on scraps together. Doesn't mean it wouldn't happen though, as with any other species I'm sure they'd snack on dead ones.

[Loller]

Well, since they eat pretty much anything, feeding them ALOT shouldn't be hard. Thanks for advice, any ways confirm male/female, or should I just go with 5 and see what happens.

[~firefly~]

No idea sorry. I have two adults and they look very similar.

[scotchbonneteater]

They are a type of Whelk not a snail so maybe they don't like the taste of themselves . They will breed if conditions are good 23+ temp and plenty of food, as the food runs down the breeding slows. I started with 5 and now I have hundreds. I feed them on rolled up frozen brine shrimp placed under a small glass as its fun watching them burrow their way in

[Trillianne]

As I recall there is not really a distinctive markings or feature to determine male or female, although the females do tend to be the larger sized ones.