A thought just occurred to me...
I agree with the the reasoning that Assassins may eat healthy shrimp if they are very hungry upon arrival, or hungry in general. Then, there's always a chance you got a crazy one in there!
I do not think a happy, healthy NORMAL Assassin snail would harm a shrimp. Seems to me, they'd much rather be eating things that are normally on their menu and are easier to catch, plus they got other things to do...like mate, lay eggs, eat Ramshorn, and nap. I think there are always a few rogue ones out there (look at people, for instance once they get a taste for something).
It's very possible that you could limit the loss of shrimp being eaten by hungry, newly acquired snails by quarantining them a week or so. One of those "Ten Commandments" most of us don't follow. Of course, you'd be feeding them during quarantine (they love Ramshorn snails), so they may not be as likely to eat a shrimp after release. I guess they're gonna get protein one way or the other. Now, how much is it gonna cost ya?
I'm curious how many instances where a healthy shrimp is eaten, occur within the first month of snail introduction to the shrimp colony. I just want to know if placing them in a holding tank for a week or two and feeding them would decrease chances of attacks.
So, to be clear...I believe it happens...but why?
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