Do Mystery snails eat Shrimps? I read this question in one of the forums about Shrimp disappearing in a Mystery Snail tank a few months ago, and I started wondering if snails could eat a live Shrimp. My curiosity led me to establish a 5-gallon tank with 2 Mystery Snails and a Ghost shrimp in order to find out if they will eat the Shrimp.
So, this article is based on my experience/experiment and also some private researches I did on this topic too.
Do Mystery Snails eat Shrimps? Yes, Snails could only each dead Shrimps and not live shrimps because they don’t have what it takes to hurt live shrimps.
Snails are scavengers and will eat anything they could, be it dead animals, smaller or tiny live animals, vegetables, fruits plants, including fish food, etc.
Related: How often to feed Mystery Snails
Mystery snails are one of the biggest species of snail, and just like other types of snails, they cannot hurt big animals like shrimps.
They could be able to eat only tiny live animals like insects, but they can’t hurt any other animal other than that unless the animal is dead and it’s decaying.
They have no teeth or at least no visible teeth, so there is no how they could be able to eat a live shrimp nor even possibly be a threat to them unless the shrimp dies and Starts decaying, and they will then have to suck off the decaying soft body tissues.
So, if your shrimp happens to be missing in your tank, then you might have to check other tank mates such as fish, crayfish, crabs, etc, and stop suspecting your mystery snails because they can’t possibly eat a live shrimp unless the shrimp is dead and starts decaying.
Related: Can Assassin Snails live with Betta fish
If am not mistaken, the only snail that is capable of hurting other snails and might hurt shrimps too is the assassin snail and not the Mystery snail or any other specie of aquarium Snails.
Will Shrimps Eat My Snails?
Shrimps are opportunist feeders, they will eat smaller snails when they have the opportunity.
Although shrimps are one of the most suitable tank mates for snails, but unfortunately, they sometimes feed on snails.
When I say snails, what I meant are smaller snails that they could be able to kill and eat when they have the opportunity to do so.
The opportunity they might be looking for in order to eat a snail might be, if the snail is sick or dying, or if the snail has a broken shell, etc.
Related: Tios to know if your Aquarium Snail is eating
Just like snails, shrimps are scavengers too and will eat anything they could, which includes tiny Snails or dead snails.
Can Mystery Snails Live With Shrimps?
Snails and shrimps are suitable tank mates. Both do not have the ability to hurt each other.
Under normal circumstances, snails and shrimps don’t hurt each other despite being scavengers.
Related: 10 Vegetables and Fruits to feed your Aquarium Snails
Shrimp can’t hurt a snail that is big in size or an adult snail unless the snail is dead and the same goes for snails too.
Conclusion
Mystery snail can eat dead shrimps but not live ones.
SUPPORT
If you love this article, please show love and support by buying me a coffee. Link below.
