What is an assassin snail?

Assassin snails are popular among many freshwater aquarium enthusiasts for their ability to eat pest snails that tend to take over contained aquatic environments with live plants. Such pest snails include the Malaysian trumpet snail.

Assassin snails also help keep aquariums clean by dining on scraps of shrimp and fish not eaten by other aquarium inhabitants. Such scraps would otherwise disintegrate and cloud the water. Approximately four to six assassin snails per 20 gallons of water helps to keep a tank clean, according to PetSolutions. These snails like to burrow, which means they require a fine layer of gravel or sand on the bottom of the aquarium.