[Fajita]

ok everyone i have never owned assassin snails but have always had MTS, i like the MTS because they do a stellar job at turning over the substrate. so my question is which do you prefer?....i am considering putting assassins instead of MTS in my new 55 gallon because i have some pond snails i'd like to get rid of (beneficial as they may be) and also i like the way they look...i heard assassins also dig into substrate to "sit and wait" on prey...how does this compare to the MTS burrowing capability?

thanks in advance

 

[ljapa]

Assassins do dig, but they mostly dig in and sit. If you are looking for substrate turnover, MTS are a better choice. The assassins will wipe out your pond snail infestation, though.

 

[Fajita]

that's what i thought...it'd be nice to have both but obviously that wont work

 

[JustJen]

My assassins aren't making a dent in my MTS population :-\ They did take out my pond snails, but not the MTS. Don't know if there are just too many of them or if my assassins are lazy or what. Point being, you might be surprised if you try keeping them together. And the good news is, if you can find the right people in your area, you can probably get MTS for free.

 

[Fajita]

My assassins aren't making a dent in my MTS population :-\ They did take out my pond snails, but not the MTS. Don't know if there are just too many of them or if my assassins are lazy or what. Point being, you might be surprised if you try keeping them together. And the good news is, if you can find the right people in your area, you can probably get MTS for free.

hhmmm...maybe i'll try that then...ya getting MTS wont be a problem...my local petsmarts gives them away for free i was just weighing my options...maybe MTS are just too big once full grown???

 

[ljapa]

hhmmm...maybe i'll try that then...ya getting MTS wont be a problem...my local petsmarts gives them away for free i was just weighing my options...maybe MTS are just too big once full grown???

Or, assassins grow slowly. I wanted MTS for turning the substrate, but ended up with too many. We're talking hundreds. I added 3 assassins. They definitely killed some, but weren't keeping up after a month or two. I added two more around the first time I saw assassin eggs. 6 months later, I saw the first small assassins and there was a noticeable decrease in MTS.

A few months after that, I had a ton of assassins, and almost decided too late to get a 10 gallon for raising the few MTS I could find, which was only around 5. All very small.

I'm still waiting for the population explosion in that grow out tank.

 

[Fajita]

Or, assassins grow slowly. I wanted MTS for turning the substrate, but ended up with too many. We're talking hundreds. I added 3 assassins. They definitely killed some, but weren't keeping up after a month or two. I added two more around the first time I saw assassin eggs. 6 months later, I saw the first small assassins and there was a noticeable decrease in MTS.

A few months after that, I had a ton of assassins, and almost decided too late to get a 10 gallon for raising the few MTS I could find, which was only around 5. All very small.

I'm still waiting for the population explosion in that grow out tank.

wow!:icon_eek:...so i guess given enough time MTS will be eliminated as well, i had (like you said) hundreds if not thousands of MTS in my 29 gal. planted tank a few years ago and i loved them, very active and nice coloration, but i've never kept assassins before and even though pond snails do ALOT of cleanup, i could take them or leave them, i've got my 55 planted cycling at the moment (another reason pond snails are handy) but the cycling has been going on for more than two months so it's time to start stocking it with things i actually enjoy watching (no offense to the hardy pond snail)....so of all you snail owners out there which do you in your personal opinion find more beneficial between the two???