Assassin Snails: They can Have Their Snails and Bloodworms Too!

The Swarm Attacks the Bloodworms!

Assassin Snails are amazing little creatures! One of the common questions I hear is what do people feed them once the little snail killing machines has turned the aquarium into a pest snail graveyard? The answer is they will eat anything with good protein content but I have found that one magic food they love is frozen bloodworms.

I have attached pictures of the little meat munching maniacs in action when I threw a bloodworm cube into their temporary holding tank.

You will notice that they swarmed the wormy cube like marauding Walking Dead “walkers” swarm an injured bleeding human. They came from all corners of the tank and attacked without mercy and feasted like they were going to be executed at 6am the next morning.

The Assassins Munching Away!

Of course, when you have the opportunity to feed these little critters live snails go for it but when this option is exhausted go to the local pet store and secure yourself some frozen bloodworms; your snails will thank you.

If you do not believe me I invite you to examine the pictures I have attached; you cannot go wrong feeding the little killers bloodworms.

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Aquarium Plant Survival in Four Easy Steps

Alright, so there you are sitting by your 40 gallon tank with tears in your eyes watching your adorable pet fish floating belly up and observing the quick demise of your expensive plants the local pet store sold you at a 300% mark-up price. You are not sure which has you more upset but you are angry, the kids are crying and the wife is pulling up a do it yourself divorce instruction kit online.

And all of this because you wanted to fertilize your plants quickly and efficiently; sadly no one told you that the Turbocharge Plant Grow 5000 you bought at the Fern shop was not suitable for aquatic plants. You are now on the verge of disaster and as your lovely wife and kids are making arrangements to stay at Grandma’s you finally ask; how do I provide nutrients to my plants!?

Uhhh…well there is an answer…well several:

1)   Tapwater: Good old fashion “hard” tapwater will help provide nutrients to your plants. My plants namely the moss did “drop dead” impressions when I placed them in treated water that removed the metals, nutrients and softened it up.  My lovely “Java Moss” turned into a burnt Java coffee stain in mush form

2)   Fish Food:  Yep! Not only does this stuff nourish your fish but it nourishes your plants and it does so cheaply! It is much cheaper than the Monsterweed Growth Serum 7000C provided by the local pet store for $250.00 per baggie! Fish Food will provide the nutrients for your plants.

3)   Soil Substrate: That cheap manufactured gravel you purchased is pretty well junk stones. Oh yes, they advertise how beneficial they are to your tank but the reality is they are trying to convince you that snake-oil is worth the price. If you like the cheap gravel because it is “pretty” for the kids, so be it my friends but use an organic or fluorite soil layer substrate underneath.   

4)   Do not overclean your tank: Removing CO₂  (Carbon) through frequent water changes will only remove what the plants require for nourishment.  Only change your water when it is necessary.

Of course, I will leave it up to you to research which foods, waters and soils are acceptable for your particular situations. My advice is to read Diane Walstad’s amazing book: “The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium.”  

However, every piece of advice you just received is better that poisoning your tanks with harsh fertilizers and gimmick plant quick-grow foods that will likely create imbalance and possibly outright destruction.  

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My new 90 Gallon Future Planted Aquarium!

Yes, I will have this wonderful tank on Monday, December 1st, 2014! Courtesy of "Catch Ya Later Bait and Tackle!" 

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Java Fern Surgery Goes Well

Pre-Op

Using a simple pair of small scissors and some elongated aquarium tweezers I was able to rescue one of my hardy but sickly Java Ferns.

I removed the dead leaves though I left the leaves with the baby sprouts. With Java Fern when a leaf gets too old it dies though the plant roots itself will continue to be healthy. The Rhizomes on my Java Fern are amazingly developed. Here are the photos of the operation. I was surprise at how tough this plant could be; it started to spruce up as soon as I placed it in the recovery tank.

The dead and infected leaves removed. Some leaves were trimmed rather then fully removed. Tough plant in the end!

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How to Cure and Sell Driftwood: Why you Should do so!

It was an amazing day folks! I was charged $11.29 for a piece of driftwood. Yes, $11.29 for a small piece of tree scrap! I suppose the special “Malaysian” status magically increased the price but it certainly does not do any good for trumpet snails.

While I felt the fool for buying this little piece of wood it illustrated a point. We are being ripped off by the pet store chains; when we are being charged usurious prices for tree bark something has to be done.

To atone for the immense foolishness of the purchase I am going to locate local Georgian Bay driftwood, clean it, cure it then sell it at dirt cheap prices. This is the least I can do to give the middle finger to the pet industry that rivals corporate oil for gauging sleaze.

The first step is to wait until the end of winter and the ice to recede to await the arrival of the driftwood on the beach shores.

The second step is to collect the wood and as much as I can handle; build up a solid collection and then the third step…

Clean and cure the wood to render it sale ready. Once this is done it is time to peddle my wares. You can clean the wood with a solid brush, no soap or chemicals. You then boil the driftwood for two hours to kill the baddies on the wood.

Ironically, this is all anyone has to do to obtain driftwood! Selling is a matter of creativity, advertising and networking. 

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8 Reasons To Love Assassin Snails

1) They will not eat your plants

2) They will eat "pest snails" in your aquarium. In the picture to the right my Assassins mauled a Ramshorn Snail and even a larger Winteri Snail within minutes of being tossed in the tank. 

3) They are attractive snails to look at and admire

4) They are hardy and can handle room temperature water

5) They will aerate your gravel by digging in and travelling

6) They do not leave a large bio-load

7) They are not only prolific little snail killers but capable scavengers. 

8) They do not breed in a manner that will create a massive infestation in your aquarium 

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March of the Mussels

I added some new and interesting creatures to my aquarium “Freshwater Golden Mussels;” so why would I take as pets something one would expect to find on a menu at a fancy gourmet restaurant?

The answer is efficiency! Golden Mussels have a great gift in bio-filtering your tank by absorbing detritus and other organic elements from your water column. They are also compatible with snails, shrimp and other peaceful community creatures.

This little interesting clammy critter not only aids in the maintenance of your aquarium but they can manage in a wide variety of temperatures though extremes on either end should be avoided. They prefer harder water which is no surprise for such a creature.  

While many of the ninny’s and the nay-sayers would refer to these innocent shelled super-cleaners as “invasive” they are quite harmless and can be controlled easily. Like any “invasive” species they only become that way when humans carelessly discard them into the water systems.

These little creatures are a great part of any aquarium clean up crew. 

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Why I Love My Hornwort

It appears that I may be earning the title of “High Priest of Hornwort!” I have a new large batch of it in my third tank…a ten gallon. Some people have asked me why I so love something they consider a mere “weed.”

The answers are very easy in point form!

• It absorbs nutrients and aids in the oxygenation of the aquarium; my aquariums run at optimum with this plant.
• It grows easy; no rooting or tying down required! It is a free floating plant that will grow without special substrates.
• It grows rapidly; this is actually good because you can cut off the excess and sell it for cold hard cash. The beautiful part is you can cut off a stem from anywhere and it will grow into a plant as well.
• It is a great natural shield for eggs and fry; you can save a lot of your stock using Hornwort to shield them from tank predators.
• It looks really cool.

All I can say is that I love my Hornwort!  

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My 10 Gallon Shrimp Aquarium

I just completed my shrimp aquarium and even though it is a basic set up I like the final product.

The aquarium has a 35% plant based substrate; a large bushel of Hornwort that is growing like mad and nearly a dozen Morimo “Moss” balls at the bottom of the tank.

I already have 10 Red Cherry Shrimp who have taken to the tank quite well; they regularly nibble on the Morimo and they love to hide in the Hornwort.

This is a natural aquarium with no mechanical filtration or air pumps. They shrimp are much more active in my aquarium then they were the tank of the previous owner. 

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Developing an Assassin Snail Aquarium

This is my basic 20 gallon set up with more to be added soon! My substrate is 35 plant based with floating Java Fern with the roots brushing the gravel. The Java Fern tends to grow quickly and large so I am sticking with it as the background plant for now. I also have a Seapora 30 sponge filter with a capable air pump. You will note the Morimo "Moss" balls floating at the top?

To assist in the tank cycling I purchased 6 "Fathead" Minnows. I have lost one that was the runt of the group but the rest appear to be doing well. These minnows were slated to be used as feeders. 

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