Ramshorn snail
Planorbella duryi
InvertebratesFreshwater
- Care level
- Easy
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Recommended tank
- 20 L
- Maximum size
- 3 cm
- Temperature
- 18–28 °C
- pH
- 7–8
- Diet
- Omnivore
Care at a glance
The ramshorn snail arrives in most tanks as a stowaway on a plant, which earns it a reputation as a pest. Unfairly so: it only eats decaying leaves, leftover food and biofilm, never healthy plants. There are also attractive bred forms in red, blue and leather.
If the population explodes, that is a symptom rather than a cause: you are overfeeding. Feeding less solves it, far more reliably than netting snails out. They are hermaphrodites, so one animal is enough for offspring. Otherwise they are useful: they keep the substrate loose, clear up what is left behind and are a good indicator that food is rotting somewhere.
Best not combined with
Related species
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Values are mainstream hobbyist guidance, not gospel — always watch what your own animals need.