This list of the best aquarium snails will help you learn about the popular options we recommend. We put together this list of the best aquarium snails based on each of the primary families.
This resource should help you learn about each from a higher level, so you can think about the details later. The Mystery Snail is a species we absolutely love. These little critters stand out in any tank because of their interesting colors and patterns. We especially like putting them in a heavily-planted tank to achieve maximum contrast. These aquarium snails are super low maintenance and easy to take care of.
They get along with pretty much every species and will mind their own business. Mystery Snails are also one of the most effective tank cleaners on this list. Nerite Snails are another popular species that thrive in pretty much any freshwater tank. Our favorite thing about this snail is their shell patterns. Our favorite is probably the tiger variety. These snails do well in planted tanks with a sandy substrate. That will keep their soft underside safe from scratches and infection.
The Apple Snail is a very simple and reliable species that anyone can take care of. The one thing you need to keep an eye on with these snails is how aggressively they eat plant life. Other snails on our list are more passive and choose to nibble on the biofilm that grows on each plant, but the Apple Snail will go after the plant itself. To keep their appetite under control a lot of aquarists like to feed them standard plant-based fish food.
In fact, the main item on the menu for Assassin Snails is other snails. They will happily eat a lot of the other snails on this list, so think carefully when picking their tank mates! This species has a very pretty shell with dark brown and yellow stripes all over it. They look great in any aquarium, and their pattern allows you to locate them quite easily! These snails are usually between one and two inches in length and are active at night.
Rabbit Snails are a species with a very interesting look. Babies are usually born one at a time, although occasionally two or even three are encased. Egg pods are produced once every 4 to 6 weeks, so their reproductive rate is very slow, even if you have several of them. Assassin snails Clea helena are native to southeast Asia.
They have become popular in the. They grow to about 1 inch in length and have alternating yellow and dark brown "bumble bee" stripes. They like to burrow in the substrate but quickly come out for food. Unlike most aquarium snails, which are largely herbivorous or at least omnivorous, Assassin snails are carnivores, feeding largely on other snails or carrion.
However, they will not eat their own kind even when other food is in short supply. A few shrimp breeders have reported seeing Assassin snails eating their valuable shrimp, but experts believe that this happens very rarely, and the victims are most likely weak or sickly.
Assassin snails are known to breed in captivity. They are gonochoristic, so if you want to breed them, you should start with at least 5 or 6 to make sure you have males and females. Reproduction is slow because females only lay 1 to 4 eggs at a time. Eggs are transparent and difficult to see, hatching out in 8 to 9 weeks, depending on temperature. Ramshorn snails have been in the aquarium hobby longer than almost any other type of snail.
Some aquarists use them to help keep fry-rearing or shrimp tanks clean, while others consider them a pest that should be eliminated at any cost. They are great at eating soft algae, dead plant matter and leftover food, but they can multiply quickly, especially in aquariums that have a lot of organic debris. They are also known to eat soft-leafed plants when food is scarce.
The two most common species in the aquarium trade are , the Red Ramshorn and Planorbarius corneus , a larger species known as the Great Ramshorn. Red Ramshorns are red, as their name suggests, while Great Ramshorns are typically olive-yellow to brown, with stripes on the shell.
Other variants, such as pink, yellow or blue are also available. Ramshorns are air-breathers, making it necessary for them to come to the surface to breathe. Great Ramshorn snails are usually introduced intentionally into aquariums to control algae and help keep the tank clean, but Red Ramshorns often appear spontaneously.
More often than not, tiny individuals or eggs sneak in on live plants, rocks, driftwood, ornaments and even gravel transferred from one aquarium to another. A sudden population explosion is often a result of detritus and organic waste building up in the aquarium.
Depending on your outlook, these small, cone-shaped snails can be the best scavenger known to aquarium keeping or the most despised creature on earth. To be sure, they are prolific. They are parthenogenetic — not hermaphroditic — meaning females can give birth to more females without requiring contact with a male. In short, one tiny hitch-hiking female is all it takes to get things going, and they are virtually impossible to get rid of once they enter your aquarium.
On the positive side, MTS forage in the substrate by day, keeping it aerated and breaking down any organic debris and waste that accumulates there, preventing anaerobic conditions which can release deadly hydrogen sulfide gas from developing. Plus, they won't eat your plants. For these reasons, they make excellent scavengers for planted aquariums, shrimp tanks and aquariums that are heavily stocked or fed generously.
That is comforting if you like natural methods, but for some folks, seeing that many snails in a tank or watching your gravel actually "move" is, well……. It is pretty much impossible to eradicate MTS entirely once they are in your aquarium but cutting back on feeding and vacuuming the substrate regularly will deprive these snails of their food source and keep their numbers down.
Several species fall under the term "pond snails". To some hobbyists they are a valued scavenger, while others consider them a pest. We never figured out why. They are fascinating to watch though! Love my snails! We bought one snail from the pet store. It looks like a blue mystery snail.
It has been doing really well. Than to our surprise we have baby snails. We also noticed our fresh water plants are not doing so well. Either that or the snails are eating the plants. We also have a weblike bright blue algae on the plants.
I have not seen this before. We are still learning. Our Snail we purchased is not moving as much. Any tips to care for these baby snails. We have no idea. Give your babies blanched spinach to munch on as a snack. They love it and it contains calcium which is good for their growing shells. I think they ate a little fish that died. Should I get them out of there and give them their own tank?
The are kinda brown and not very big and it is a fresh water tank. I guess they came home with the fish? How long do they take to hatch?
My snails never out from their shell and always upside down, only one time after we bought it from the pets shop…How do you know if the snails are stressed? Your email address will not be published. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.
We do not specifically market to children under Share this Nerite Snails Neritina Natalensis 2. Golden Mystery Snails 3. Blue Mystery Snail Pomacea bridgesii 4. Tiger Nerite Snail 5.
Snails have a very bad reputation among aquarists, and they can indeed be very annoying. However, they can also be a great addition to your aquarium, and there are plenty of species that are beautiful and interesting to keep. Hopefully this list has inspired you to give them a chance! Happy snail-keeping!
They are all getting along and respect each others space in the tank. Will I end up with an infestation? I find your page helpful.
On top of that, unfortunately I have to inform you that your tank is incorrectly stocked at the moment. I strongly urge you to see if you can return all your fish besides the Betta to the aquarium store and then just stick to keeping only the Betta.
You can also keep them with one or more of the various other fascinating snail species the aquarium hobby has to […]. A few snails should be fine if you're sure they're disease-free and shrimp […]. I found your list helpful. I have lots of algae. Looking for something kinda small but cute.
Glad the article was helpful. Unfortunately a 5 gallon tank is not suitable for any kind of goldfish whatsoever. Please read this article , all the points apply to a 5 gal as well. Would a single nitrate snail be ok with a Betta in a 5 gallon? Like are they ok without friends and such.
A single nerite should be alright with a betta, though be sure to have a plan B on hand in case your betta labels it as food which does happen occasionally. Yup, though mystery snails are not necessarily the same as apple snails they do get much too big for a 5 gallon, as do both tetras and guppies. My betta immediately thought of my two nerites in a 10 gallon as food, so she nipped their antennae.
They retreated into their shells, and eventually she got bored of trying to bite through their shells and gave up.
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