How to Keep Killer Snails as Aquatic Pets

Keeping aquatic snails of any kind as pets is easy and fun to do. Pet snails can provide people of all ages with hours of enjoyment.

Killer snails (Anentome helena) are freshwater aquatic snails that are becoming more and more popular in the aquarium trade every day. They are not as bad as their name may sound. Killer snails supposedly eat other snails and that's why they have the name "killer".

Killer snails will only eat other snails if they have been starved (which is never a good idea). Killer snails would much rather eat regular fishfood such as home made "sinking biscuits" or shrimp pellets.

Killer snails are also called assassin snails and they are more appropriately called "bumblebee snails". This is because of the coloration on their shells which is striped with black and yellow.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Killer snails
• Fishfood
• A healthy, cycled aquarium

1. Add the killer snails into a healthy, cycled aquarium.
   
   The killer snails should have a freshwater tank that holds 10 gallons of water or more. The tank should also have the following items :
   
   * Filter Floss
   * Plastic Plants
   * Aquarium Gravel
   * Aquarium Decorations
   * Pond snails such as Physa species and/or Planorbis species.

2. Add tank-mates into the killer snail tank.
   
   Don't add any predatory fish into the bumble bee snail (Killer snails) tank. Fish such as clown loaches and adult convict cichlids usually kill and eat every snail that they can find. Don't add any aggressive fish into the killer snail tank. Aggressive or large fish may pester and/or harm the killer snails.
   
   Good tankmates for killer snails include :
   
   Guppies, scuds, dwarf shrimp, etc.
   
   All of these creatures will live happily together and without any mechanical filtration (as long as the killer snail tank has good water quality.)

3. Feed the killer snails at least once a day (twice a day, if possible).
   
   Being omnivorous scavengers, killer snails will eat the following items :
   
   * Algae wafers
   * Fishfood flakes
   * Shrimp pellets, etc.
   
   Monitor the water quality using water quality test kits (dip-testing-strips).
   
   Keep a thermometer in the tank and add an aquarium heater if the water gets too cold during the winter months.
   
   Change 25% of the water in the killer snails tank, once every week. Refill any water in the killer snail tank using dechlorinated tap water that has been allowed to sit and "age" for at least an hour before adding the water into the killer snail tank.

Resources

• How to Feed Bottom Feeders Healthy FishFood
• Setting up a Breeder Tank
• How to Use Filter Floss For Freshwater Aquariums

[soanyway]

on 9/21/2009 Very good tips! I have never seen one of these, I will pay attention next time I'm in a pet store! I have recomn'd you. Pay it forward to all! ;-)