Assassin Snail (Clea Helena) Snail Species Profile
The Assassin snail is relatively hardy, but it naturally requires good water quality. They are not challenging to take care of as long as the water conditions are right, and they have plenty of food.
They are least active during mid-day, and aquatic plants are perfectly safe from these opportunistic carnivores, and they are handy to have to keep other snail populations down.
Assassin Snails are also very attractive, the ribbed conical yellow-cream shell is complemented with dark brown spirals, and dark speckles throughout and the body is a greyish green in colour.
| Scientific Name | Clea Helena |
|---|---|
| Other Names | Bumblebee Snail |
| Family | Nassariidae |
| Genus | Clea |
| Origins | Southeast Asia |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Aquarium Level | Bottom |
| Difficulty | Beginner - Intermediate |
| Shoaling | No |
| Best kept as | Groups 6+ |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Reproduction | Egg-Layer |
| Lifespan | 2 - 5 years |
| Maximum Size | 2 cm |
| Water Type | Freshwater |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 72 - 81 ℉ (22.2 - 27.2 ℃) |
| PH | 7.2 - 8.0 |
| GH | 10 - 25 |
Origins
They are found in much of Southeast Asia and are native to Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.
They inhabit small bodies of water and are mainly found in ditches or ponds. They prefer areas with sandy or muddy substrates, and these conditions should be followed as closely as possible in the home aquarium.
Diet
Assassin Snails will eat almost anything that they can scavenge.
They will consume other snails, mosquito larvae, bloodworm and brine shrimp as well as sinking pellets, flakes, granules, meaty debris and dead fish.
If there is a giant snail population in their tank, then there is often no need to feed them at all.
Sexing the Assassin Snail
Assassin snails have determined females and males, and are not hermaphroditic like other snails. It is almost impossible to sex these snails, but it is thought that the females may be slightly larger than the males.
Breeding the Assassin Snail
Assassin Snails will lay a single egg at a time. Batches of separate eggs often appear close to one another. Each egg is yellowish and is surrounded in a translucent rectangular-like enclosure that is fixed to the aquarium glass, lava rocks, driftwood or other hard surfaces.
A few days later, the yellowish egg will turn light brown. It will then take around two months for the eggs to hatch.
Once the eggs have successfully hatched the baby Assassin Snails will burrow through the substrate as it matures.
The great thing about these snails is the fact that even though they do reproduce, they cannot overrun a tank.
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