rm
Passport
- Family
- Snails
- Grows to
- 6.5 cm (2.6")
- Lives
- 1–2 years
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Care
- Beginner
- SwimsSuggested
- Everywhere
- Keep
- One is fine
- Water
- 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)
BrazilParaguayBolivia
Care requirements
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On record for Mystery Snail: adult size, lifespan, minimum tank, temperature, ph, hardness, carbonate hardness, minimum group, diet, care level, swim level.
Not on record for Mystery Snail: tank length.
A figure that is not on record is left out rather than guessed. One marked Suggested comes from keeping knowledge rather than a page.
- Minimum tank 19 L / 5.0 US gal
- pH 7–8
- Hardness 7–18 dGH
- Carbonate hardness 3–18 dKH
- Diet algae eater/omnivore
Care notes written from general aquarium knowledge, not from the cited sources.
About
Mystery snails are the big, friendly apple snail of the hobby, and the one worth knowing apart from its relatives. Other apple snails eat aquarium plants enthusiastically; this species almost entirely doesn't, which is why it's the only one most countries still allow in the trade.
They come in gold, ivory, blue, purple and jade, they grow to the size of a golf ball, and they're constantly on the move. A mystery snail cruising the glass with its siphon extended like a snorkel is a genuinely engaging animal.
They breathe air. That siphon reaches up to the surface for a gulp, which is normal behaviour and not a sign that anything is wrong with your oxygen.
Tank setup
Leave your mystery snails an air gap. They need to reach the surface to breathe and they need to get above the waterline to lay eggs, so a tank filled to the brim is wrong for them.
Cover the tank anyway. They climb out given the chance and a snail on the carpet dries out quickly.
Keep the water hard. Shell growth needs calcium and a snail in soft water develops thin, pitted, eroded shells that eventually become fatal. This matters more for a snail this size than for a small one.
Give them a soft substrate and smooth decor. They fall off the glass regularly, and landing on sharp gravel cracks a shell.
Feeding
Mystery snails graze algae and biofilm and scavenge anything that reaches the bottom, but a tank rarely grows enough for an animal this size.
Feed them directly. Blanched courgette, spinach, kale and cucumber all go down well, along with sinking wafers and a calcium-rich snail food.
Give them a calcium source they can work on. Cuttlebone left floating in the tank dissolves slowly and snails will graze it directly.
Avoid: copper in anything. It kills snails as readily as it kills shrimp, and it turns up in fish medications and plant fertilisers.
Filtration and flow
Gentle to moderate flow suits them. They're strong enough not to be swept about but they don't need current.
Guard the intake if the flow is strong. A snail that has fallen and landed against an intake can get pinned.
Keep nitrate low and hardness up. Those two together are most of snail-keeping.
With plants
Mystery snails are safe with healthy plants, which is what separates them from the rest of their family. They graze algae off leaves and pick at dying material.
They'll eat soft, decaying plants and very delicate species occasionally. A snail demolishing a melting crypt is cleaning up rather than causing damage.
They're heavy enough to flatten fine stem plants simply by climbing over them. Plant accordingly.
Health
Shell condition is the whole health picture. White, pitted or flaking shells mean the water is too soft or too acidic, and the damage doesn't reverse — new growth just comes in better.
A snail sealed into its shell for days is either resting or dead, and the test is smell rather than sight. A dead snail fouls a tank quickly, so check.
They're sensitive to sudden chemistry changes and to copper. Acclimatise slowly.
Breeding
Mystery snails lay above the waterline, which is unusual and useful. The female climbs out of the water and deposits a firm pink clutch on the glass or the lid, and it stays there while it develops.
That gives you complete control. Leave the clutch and you'll get a great many tiny snails; remove it and you get none. Keep it damp but not submerged — a clutch that falls into the water usually fails.
You need both sexes, unlike the hermaphrodite pest snails. A single mystery snail will never fill your tank, which is a large part of their appeal.
Tank mates
Avoid9
- Clown Loach Clown Loach is not safe with Mystery Snail: loaches and botia and snails are a bad pairing.
- Demasoni Cichlid Demasoni Cichlid is not safe with Mystery Snail: african cichlids and snails are a bad pairing.
- Dwarf Chain Loach Dwarf Chain Loach is not safe with Mystery Snail: loaches and botia and snails are a bad pairing.
- Electric Yellow Lab Electric Yellow Lab is not safe with Mystery Snail: african cichlids and snails are a bad pairing.
- Hillstream Loach Hillstream Loach is not safe with Mystery Snail: loaches and botia and snails are a bad pairing.
Only with care13
- Chinese Algae Eater Chinese Algae Eater is aggressive and Mystery Snail is peaceful.
- Convict Cichlid Convict Cichlid is aggressive and Mystery Snail is peaceful.
- Jewel Cichlid Jewel Cichlid is aggressive and Mystery Snail is peaceful.
- Bristlenose Pleco Bristlenose Pleco is a risk to Mystery Snail: bristlenose catfish and snails are a pairing to watch.
- Clown Pleco Clown Pleco is a risk to Mystery Snail: bristlenose catfish and snails are a pairing to watch.
No conflict is recorded with the other 82 species in the database, so nothing to flag. 4 species are not covered at all, so they could not be judged either way.