Snail Tales: Differentiating Freshwater Varieties in Your Aquarium
While many aquarium hobbyists have strong opinions towards snails, there’s no arguing the fact that they can be extremely beneficial to a freshwater aquarium. These detritivores break down organics in your aquarium such as leftover fish food, plant debris, and deceased animals all while being your own personal algae scrubber. If you're interested in adding these productive slowpokes, read on to find out what species works for you! Stick around until the end to learn more about their general care.
Mystery Snail
When researching freshwater snails, you may notice the most popular species, the Pomacea Bridgesii. These South American snails grow up to be one of the larger species at 2-2.5 inches (5-6 cm). Mystery snails come in a plethora of colors such as yellow gold, blue, purple, brown, magenta, and ivory and are plant safe. You’ll often see them cleaning leaves by floating down from one to the other! Despite most snails being notorious for their slow speed, these snails are relatively quick and agile.
If you’re worried about snails overtaking your aquarium, you’re in luck! These snails are hermaphroditic, meaning males and females can be sexed by holding them by the shell with their foot facing up. Females will have two holes by her shoulders, whereas males only have one on their left. The female snail will lay her cluster of eggs at the surface of the water and the eggs are large enough to collect and dispose of. These colorful critters are a freshwater staple and thrive in most aquariums!
Assassin Snail
It’s in the name. Yes, these snails are carnivores that assassinate other snails. Anentome helena come in at a whopping 1 inch (2.5 cm) and are native to Southeast Asia. Their pointy, spiraled cone shape matches their demeanor and allows them to hide underground while waiting for their prey to pass. Most hobbyists use these snails to eliminate a snail outbreak in their aquarium. These snails can group together to take on snails much larger than them. Only when their snail supply depletes do they move on to eat algae, fish food, and other debris.
These carnivores are slower breeding than mystery snails, but lay small, square egg capsules that are difficult to dispose of. If you have a snail outbreak that needs to be contained, you’ve found your guy! Just make sure to collect your assassin snails when their work is done. Local fish stores are known to take them in when hobbyists no longer need them.
Nerite Snail
These snails are from the Neritidae family and are renowned for being the best algae eaters in the freshwater invertebrate community. These snails are on the smaller end, ranging from 0.5 - 1.5 inches (1.3 - 3.8 cm) and come in a variety of patterns such as red racers, zebra, tiger, and horned. These snails rely on algae to survive, and if there’s not enough they potentially face starvation. Their diet can be substituted with cucumber or green beans, but it is best to only add them to your aquarium if you have consistent algae.
These snails are runners and you may notice them in a strange spot outside of their aquarium if you don’t have a tight lid. Nerite snails have a very high salt tolerance and can live in brackish water. Their eggs won’t hatch in freshwater, so no need to worry about a snail outbreak. If you have consistent algae and a lid, these efficient escapees may be the perfect fit!
Bladder Snail
These snails are from the Physidae family and are one of the most common freshwater snails. Growing to about 1 inch (2.5 cm), bladder snails look very natural with their round brown shell. These hardy animals are small enough to get into every nook and cranny of your aquarium and don’t have much of a preference for water parameters.
Bladder snails earned themselves the nickname “pest snails” from the aquarium community due to their ability to self-fertilize, allowing them to reproduce at a rapid rate. If you find yourself with one to many bladder snails, consider feeding your aquarium less and manually removing some of their food source by gravel vacuuming or scraping your glass. With the right maintenance, these snails can be a great feature to your freshwater aquarium!
Ramshorn Snail
These stunning snails from the Planorbidae family are one of the larger freshwater snails at 1-2 inches (2.5 - 5 cm) and are known for their planispiral shell. Ramshorn snails come in a variety of colors such as gold, pink, slate, and brown.
These snails have the same reproduction method as bladder snails and also clean up algae, leftover fish food, and plant debris. Ramshorn snails are also commonly referred to as “pest snails” by the aquarium community due to their similar nature to the bladder snails.
Malaysian Trumpet Snail
Unique due to their love for the night, melanoides tuberculata are a nocturnal snail that spend their days underground. Trumpet snails are on the smaller end at around 1 inch (2.5 cm) with a brown shell that comes to a point. If you have algae in your substrate, these snails are a great fit! These snails are the hardiest of freshwater snails and can also survive in brackish water.
These snails are rapid breeders due to the female's ability to reproduce on her own. These baby clones are stored in the mother’s brood pouch until she releases her live young. If you find you have too many MTS, consider removing one at a time to find the females.
Rabbit Snail
These Indonesian natives from the Tylomelania family are warm water snails who enjoy temperatures from 80–86°F (27–30°C). The name comes from their antennae and color, while their pointy shell resembles a trumpet snail. If there’s not enough algae, Rabbit Snails may start to nibble on your smaller plants.
Rabbit Snails are also similar to MTS in their reproduction by only giving live birth, although they reproduce very slowly. Their young grow up very slowly, and you may only see one every 4 - 6 weeks. If your freshwater aquarium holds species who thrive in warmer water, this is your species!
General Care
All snails need calcium for shell development and general health. In order to allow your snails to thrive, keep your PH above 7.0 and GH above 8 (140 ppm). Cracks or holes in your snail’s shell can be treated with mineral supplements such as Seachem Equilibrium, calcium rich foods, or even crushed coral! If you need to treat your water with a chemical that contains salt, remove your snails beforehand.
Avoid snail-eating predators like puffers, loaches, and giant gouramis. Consider adding a tight lid for escapees and cover filters or drains with mesh to avoid any casualties.
Snails are a great addition to most freshwater aquariums and even benefit other inhabitants such as aquatic plants. We hope you found a species that works for you. Check out your local fish store to find your perfect slimy friend!