Many people know that Gastropods make a welcome addition to freshwater tank hobbyists.
Mystery Snails (Pomacea bridgesii) are one of the largest readily available for freshwater fish keeping. This size makes them excellent algae consumers and extremely popular.
Originally found in South America, they are native to Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. They can be found in North America and are considered an invasive species thanks to human actions that allowed them into the wild.
You may see them for sale as the Common Apple Snail, Mystery Apple Snail, Golden Mystery Snail, Spike Topped Apple Snail.
As popular as the Nerite Snail family, there is a distinction with Mystery Snail. While both types of snail consume algae in your tank, making them living street sweepers, the Mystery Snail will also consume dead plant matter.
Let’s look at all of the aspects of these fascinating little tank cleaners in more detail.
Mystery Snails Behavior
As you might imagine with most snails, these are not a species likely to cause a ruckus in your tank or become the bad boys in your setup.
No, snails are very calm and peaceful and go about their business of eating and sleeping without too much bother. They are completely harmonious with other fish and invertebrates that you would like to have in your tank, although we have more on some species to avoid later who may wish your snail harm.
These snails spend most of their time gliding along the glass or the substrate and vegetation, endlessly searching for food. They will forage for nutrients everywhere possible, including your filter, so bear that in mind.
These snails will also escape the tank in search of food if you aren’t supplying enough. Secure lids are a must!
They will spend time out of the water as they possess both gills and lungs. They can often be seen at the top of your tank, waving its siphon almost like a straw above the waterline to intake air.
Their only real fear is predators who want to break their shells or nip at their long flowing tentacles. Even though their tentacles can grow back, your snails can be stressed if being nipped at or harassed by other fish.
When this happens, they will recoil into their shell and close the bottom with their unique operculum. The operculum is a hard flap that fully protects them from danger if they are alerted to it quickly enough.
Mystery Snails Lifespan
Mystery snails typically live for 1 – 2 years in your tank.
We will discuss more on tank requirements a little later in this article.
Mystery Snails Appearance
These efficient tank cleaners usually reach about 2 inches in diameter, making them twice as large as the also popular Nerite Snails.
They won’t take up much space and will meander around at their leisure wherever the algae are blossoming, and dead plant life is accumulating.
Depending on your tank size, you’ll likely pick up more than one.
What you won’t know is if you have males or females because this species of snail can change gender! More on that later when we get to breeding.
They have their hard shells sat atop what is known as the muscular foot, which is how they move as well as long flowing tentacles that are sensitive.
Their eyes sit on cephalic eyestalks that can regenerate if severed (or more likely nipped off by tank cohabitants). The eyes on these stalks sit behind two long flowing tentacles that are completely sensory for food hunting and detecting environment.
Below their mouths, they have two smaller tentacles that assist with foraging and bringing food into the mouth.
As we mentioned earlier, they possess a siphon that sits laterally on the head. It is used to take in air when above the waterline or to help direct water flow over their gills when below. A very multi-functional organ!
Some of the most popular coloration varieties for the shell of this species include blue, gold, black, brown, ivory, and magenta.
All of these shell colors can come in different patterns, including solids, banded, and gradient-toned shells.
As for the body of the snail, it tends to be yellow or black but can be found in blue or white. Their bodies have an iridescent pattern on them that makes watching them glide about and stretch and move their flowing tentacles quite hypnotic.
With all of those combinations of shells, patterns, and body-color, the choices available for Mystery Snails are vast.
Mystery Snails Habitat And Tank Requirements
Let’s remind ourselves of their native habitats.
These freshwater snails were originally found in the freshwaters of South America.
Let’s look at some specifics that are needed.
Tank Conditions
When setting up for Mystery snails, consider a tank with a secure, ventilated lid.
We mentioned previously how they happily spend an ample amount of time above the waterline in your tank breathing, so if you are not careful, you can expect a certain amount of escapees.
In fact, they need to spend time resting above water, so you will need a rim gap at the top, just not so much that they get out, dry out and die.
Substrate should be soft sand or rounded gravel, or rock only; otherwise, these snails can scratch their sensitive tentacles and muscular foot. Calcium based substrate is ideal to ensure there is enough in the water for healthy shell maintenance.
Mystery snails need plenty of areas to hide. These do need to be dotted around the tank bed as if they tire, require sleep, or are stressed it can take them quite some time to reach a spot if you only have a few.
They will enjoy climbing around any rocks, decor, driftwood, caves, and vegetation you have handy. Live plants are not required, but the dead plantlife will provide you with an additional food source. Anubias, Java Fern, Java Moss, Hornwort, and Amazon Swords are great.
Rest periods above the waterline apply to these guys, too, so there needs to be a waterline gap to the rim followed by the secure, ventilated lid.
Idea filters include HOB (hang on back), canister, or sponge. You’ll need something that can handle a lot of waste.
Using a suction vacuum to pick up debris and feces will help your filtration load considerably, so investing in one is ideal.
A heater might be required if your home gets consistently below the temperature parameter listed below. Although they tolerate a wide range of temperatures, it is not okay for that temperature to swing within that range regularly. Consistency here is key.
Water changes will help with the bioload they produce, so they must be regular.
Water conditions should be noted, tested regularly, and maintained as follows:
- pH of 7.0 – 8.4
- Water hardness 12 – 18 dKH
- Temperature between 68 – 82ºF (20 – 28ºC)
- Lighting can be standard, but they prefer darker settings
Tank Size
The minimum tank size needed is 10 gallons for 2-3 Mystery snails. These guys will foul the water quickly despite their algae cleaning capabilities. So bear this in mind.
For any additional snails you decide to add, you should increase the volume by 5 gallons per snail.
This is to ensure there is enough algae supply to go around, so sticking to that ratio should help.
Choosing Tank Mates For Mystery Snails
Mystery snails are work well with any type of smaller fish that isn’t aggressive. Beyond that guideline, the choices are fairly endless.
You can even include species such as other peaceful shrimp for bottom-dwelling invertebrates to mix it up.
Avoid fish that are too big or aggressive who will harass or try to eat your colorful little tank cleaners, thinking they look like a tasty snack.
You should also monitor even smaller fish behavior because nippy fish can attach their long flowing tentacles, and that can stress your snail.
Here are your best bets if you wish to add more company for your Mystery Snails to your blackwater tank:
- Neon Tetras
- Killifish
- Guppies
- Rasboras
- Ember Tetras
- Ghost Shrimp
- Amano Shrimp
- Cherry Shrimp
- Cory Catfish
- Plecostomus
- Ramshorn Snails
- Other snails like Nerite and Trumpet Snails
Avoid anything like Oscars, Goldfish, Cichlids, Crayfish, and anything else that is predatory and carnivorous in nature.
Mystery Snails Diet
We’ve established that snails love algae all day, all the time.
Any and all types of algae such as green, brown, soft film algae are all fair game.
If you wish to supplement their diet with algae wafers, you absolutely can. Place the wafer somewhere it can be monitored. If it doesn’t get eaten, it should be easy to retrieve using a suction gravel vacuum. Otherwise, it has a tendency to sprout Saprolegnia, which should be avoided.
Blanched vegetables such as kale, zucchini, or carrots will also provide a tasty morsel but again, watch for a breakdown if not consumed.
If you can’t see any visible algae and it’s beyond neat and tidy, then you should consider supplementing their feeding to ensure they are eating enough. If the snails are looking active and are constantly searching without enough rest, they can get stressed and are likely not getting enough food.
They will also eat dead and rotting plant matter, so as plants shed leaves, there will be an additional food source.
Mystery Snails Common Health Issues
There are a few considerations when housing Mystery Snails in your community that need to be noted here.
Insufficient calcium in your water will affect shell quality and hardness. So this must be checked. Shells can become soft, break, or even develop holes that will affect your snail’s quality of life and even make them susceptible to looking more appetizing to others.
A parasite that should be looked out for is Rat Lungworm, a larval form of the parasite that affects rats! This is unlikely to affect aquarium species, but it’s worth noting in case your purchase presents symptoms.
Grub Worms can also host in snails if your specimen was wild-caught, and these can cause more issues for your fish, so be observant for a healthy-looking purchase.
Missing tentacles can be an issue if a fish in your community decides to nip at your snail. If you see this occurring or notice it on any of your snails, you may need to remove the offender.
Shells can also develop with grooves or unexpected gaps, and this is usually due to an injury to the mantle, the part of the snail’s body that produces the shell structure.
Avoid antibiotics in the tank, as most will kill your snails.
As snails age, they can develop holes when nearing their end of life, so if you know you have juvenile or younger snails and see holes, the problem is the water quality you’re providing.
How To Breed Mystery Snails
Breeding Mystery Snails is easier than their popular counterparts, the Nerites.
They can change sex but will usually not do this in a tank if you have an established population. The population will decide who needs to be what to have a breeding pattern and will live a such.
There isn’t a lot of intervention needed. If you have a male and female, they will need no encouragement or special parameter when it comes to breeding season.
The female will lay her eggs either on or above the waterline enveloped in a pinkish water cocoon easily spotted.
The eggs, if kept moist, so they don’t dry out, should hatch in about a month. That’s a fairly long time for eggs in the tank! However, as these snails breed so easily, this means you can remove the eggs if you aren’t looking to enlarge your population.
After hatching, baby snails will sink to the tank bottom and being their search for food like their parents.
Are Mystery Snails A Good Idea For Your Tank Community?
These beautiful, slow-moving, flowing tentacled creatures are a delight to watch and can be quite hypnotic as such.
Their beautiful color combinations mean there is no shortage of aspirational choices to aim for when on the hunt for your Mystery Snail population.
These peaceful, harmless snails would make a welcome addition to any tank as long as you look out for their well-being within your fish population and keep sensible tank mates.
