Nerite Snail

Nerite Snail

The Nerite Snail is extremely effective at cleaning algae from aquarium glass, ornaments and plants. Nerites are larger in size than pest snails - around the size of a pound coin. We stock a few assorted varieties of Nerite snail - Zebra Nerite Snail, Red Onion Nerite Snail, and Horned Nerite Snails, and more - the variey supplied will be at random and may be a single species or an assorted mix. Nerite Snails are one of the best algae eating snails around, happily grazing on biofilm, soft film algae, soft green algae, string algae and soft brown algae.

Can Nerite Snails turn themselves over?

Care must be taken when putting Nerite Snails into a fish tank. Avoid dropping Nerite Snails into the water and letting them float to the bottom to land in random positions. If Nerites snails land upright, they will be able to quickly get acclimated to their new surroundings, but unlucky snails that land upside down have a very difficult time turning themselves over to the upright position. This can be fatal for Nerites, so please ensure they are placed in the tank in the upright position so they get off to a good start.

Do nerite snails reproduce asexually?

Although most aquatic snails reproduce asexually, nerite snails do not. A female nerite snail will produce eggs for the male to fertilise, like fish. The eggs will then be spread throughout the tank and develop into larvae. Nerite snails are difficult to breed in captivity - the larval stage requires brackish conditions ideally.

Can Nerite Snails crawl out of a fish tank?

Nerite snails are great for controlling algae in your fish tank, but nerite snails can and often will crawl out of a fish tank. Sometimes, they do it because of poor water quality and not enough food, but often its simply an opportunity to explore. Having a tight lid on your aquarium will prevent this, although they will often be found crawling on the underside of aquarium hoods.

Features
Supplied size: 2-5cm

Maximum size: 5cm
Origin: East and South Africa
Temperate: peaceful
Ideal number kept together: 1+

Water conditions
Our conditions: pH 7.5, temp: 25 °C
Ideal pH: 7.0-8.0
Ideal temperature: 23 – 28 °C
Water flow: low to moderate
Lighting: dim to bright

Ease of care
Easy. Require a constant source of algae or similar nutrients to feed, and a little patience when acclimatising.

Diet
They feed on algae, to the point where it may clear the tank and require supplemental algae wafers. They are ferocious eaters, please ensure they have a steady stream of nutrients available to avoid losses.

Compatibility
Best kept in a community tank with small or medium sized fish. Some fish, like loaches, may try to eat the snails, so please do your research prior. Take care when using disease treatments on other fish inhabitants, check that any chemicals used are safe for use with snails. Do not house with assassin snails.

Breeding
Hard to breed in captivity - larval stage requires brackish conditions ideally.

Life span
Nerite snails lifespan can be anything from a few months to 3 years in perfect conditions. The acclimatising stage is key, nerites can be sensitive to new conditions - when introducing please ensure pH levels are suitable, and conditions are free of ammonia so nerites can acclimatise effectively, to avoid losses.

Photo is for illustration only - colors and patterning may differ from pictured.