Super Tongan Nassarious Snail bought from an online retailer ate a recently purchased cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis). This happened within the last few minutes...the cleaner shrimp was happily under its ledge upside down, the next minute in the sand surrounded by snails. I do not believe the shrimp had a heart attack or other sudden death, but rather was captured by a snail. Has anyone seen this?
Snail attacks cleaner shrimp
- Thread starter marsh
- Start date
graveyardworm
Premium Member
Nassarius snails are for the most part carrion eaters ( dead meat ). I dont think they actually have the ability to capture a healthy shrimp. I would be concerned that the snails you have arent Tongan Nassarius, but rather some type of predatory whelk. Can you post some good clear shots of them?
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graveyardworm
Premium Member
first-chevalier
New member
For what it's worth, I had the same thing happen to my newly purchased fire shrimp. Ten minutes in the tank. He walked off the rock he had been nibbling on out into the sand and WAM the snail drove over and on top of the shrimp. The shrimp never moved again once it was on the sand but that was BEFORE the snail ever got to it. Same snails as in your picture (thanks for the ID 
).
).matter1331
New member
there had to be something already wrong with the shrimp, nassarius snails don't hunt down food, that's why they have such a great "sense of smell", so they can tell when something is dead/dying and get to it before anything else does. I would check out the next shrimp a little more closely if you decide to replace it. Every now and then, and it's seems to be more common lately, you'll get a shrimp with an isopod under its carapacen (looks like a tumor). This doesn't always kill the shrimp, but occasionaly it can.
plateboy3293
New member
i had the same problem with the hermits they kepted on eating all the shrimp I put in the tank.
first-chevalier
New member
I think I might setup a little five gallon QT tank for my next addition and see if I can get him to live a while longer there before I put him into the main tank. Hmm, little sand, little live rock, little light, small power head. Might be easy......
graveyardworm
Premium Member
I would keep the QT real simple, I know it would be fun to have a another tank, and if thats what you want then go ahead, but if its a QT you want then keep it simple. 5 or 10g tank, powerhead, hang on filter, cheap light, and a few pieces of PVC for hiding places. This way you wont have to deal with cycling, and the other more labor intensive activities involved with keeping another display tank. Unless like I said that's what you want.
first-chevalier
New member
So, what, you grab one of those cheap bio-wheel charcoal filters, fill the tank with 1.026 water, drop in a micro jet and a heater? No cycling the QT, just water changes for a week while the fish is 'watched' then drip aclimate him to the DT and drop his behind in?
first-chevalier
New member
But the pictures he posted look like super nassarius. they don't look like any welks I've seen pictures of, not that I've seen that many...
jdieck
New member
Nassarius seem to detect any smell of potential food from far. In my opinion the shrimp was already weak but might have recovered if not attacked.
Next time I would recommend to aclimate the shrimp longer and insure that nothing of the original water from the bag remains, there could be enough ammonia traces there to atract the snails.
Optimally you want to keep the shrimp in a Q tank for a couple of days.
BTW do you feed your Nassarius? Some pellet food twice a week may be what they need.
Next time I would recommend to aclimate the shrimp longer and insure that nothing of the original water from the bag remains, there could be enough ammonia traces there to atract the snails.
Optimally you want to keep the shrimp in a Q tank for a couple of days.
BTW do you feed your Nassarius? Some pellet food twice a week may be what they need.
greenbean36191
Premium Member
They're definitely Nassarius, but I would be really surprised if the diet for this species (whichever one it may be) is well studied. That makes it hard to absolutely rule out predation on a healthy animal. I do think it's unlikely though.
jdieck
New member
I would say they are Tongan Nassarius. Detritus eaters but carnivorous, although supplemental feeding is usually not necessary I feed them twice a week. They are avid eaters and I think they are one of the fastest moving snails I have seen.
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1763
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1763
I have been having a similar problem. I have bought 2 fish and 3 shrimp. These animals are doing fine, then the next morning they are just dead scrap. My shrimp for instance was found without a head. The body still had the real tight feel that live shrimp have. I thought it was the hermits, but could it have been the 3 nassarius I have? They look just like the pics. I have neverf experienced this befor in my life as a hobbyist.
