
Examples of the diet of Nerite snail veligers
- Algae.
- Golden Pearls (5-50 Microns) (link to see the price on Amazon).
- Spirulina Powder (mixed with water) (link to see the price).
- Phytoplankton (Tetraselmis) (link to see the price).
What do Nerite snails eat in aquariums?
Nerite Snails are herbivores and are widely known as one of, if not the most, voracious algae-eaters out of any snail. If there is not enough algae present in the aquarium, their diet can be supplemented with algae wafers or blanched vegetables (such as kale, zucchini, carrots, etc.).
Is it normal for nerites to eat vegetables?
I have said, it is not normal for Nerites to eat veggies. Algae is their natural food. In the past I had some that ate algae wafers and snail jello! If yours eats spinach, then be happy with that. The ones I have now don't eat anything but algae. I have them in one tank only and let the algae go wild on the back and two ends.
What are the best aquarium snails for cleaning?
Nerite snails are great algae eaters so they make a great addition to your cleanup crew. They will make your aquarium spotless in no time. They kept laying eggs all over the aquarium.
Should I Cover my nerite snail tank?
Note: It is advisable to cover the tank because these snails can escape from open top tanks. Interesting fact: snails can be awake for 30+ hours with clusters of around seven bouts of sleeping over a 13-15 hour period. Unlike some other snails, Nerites are not hermaphrodite.

What should I feed my Nerite snails?
algaeFeeding. Nerite Snails are herbivores and are widely known as one of, if not the most, voracious algae-eaters out of any snail. If there is not enough algae present in the aquarium, their diet can be supplemented with algae wafers or blanched vegetables (such as kale, zucchini, carrots, etc.).
What do you feed tiger snails?
algaeDiet: Nerite Snails can subsist on algae if there is enough present in the aquarium. Their diet can be supplemented with algae wafers and/or blanched vegetables such as zucchini, kale, spinach, or cucumber.
How often should I feed my Nerite snail?
If there's visible algae, you're good! No need to provide any extra food. If the tank looks squeaky clean, it's a good idea to feed your snails daily. They're used to eating all day, every day so you don't want them to get too hungry.
How do you take care of a tiger Nerite snail?
Nerites also prefer water pH on the alkaline side around 7.5 and aquarium water on the hard side with a moderately moving current. As with other fish in a tank, Nerite Snail care must also include checking for Ammonia spikes and high levels of Nitrate, as Nerites are susceptible.
Do Nerite snails need live plants?
And though nerite snails may eat the algae off plants, they won't eat the plants themselves. This makes nerite snails even more valuable, as they will clean live plants without damaging them. Calcium supplements may also be necessary for nerite snails to keep a healthy and robust shell.
Why do my Nerite snails keep dying?
If you don't provide food, such as sinking pellets and fresh vegetables, they will starve to death. Their inability to live lengthy lives or reproduce in freshwater is considered a plus by some hobbyists who want algae removal without introducing a permanent snail population to their tank.
How do I know if my snail is getting enough food?
If your snail doesn't have enough food it will go hungry, but with too much food the water quality will quickly deteriorate. Most snails enjoy having plants in the tank to graze on. They also eat algae, whether it is found naturally on the tank's walls or provided in the form of store-bought algae wafers.
How do I know if my Nerite snail is healthy?
Nerite snails are generally healthy but they are prone to certain health issues. If your nerite snail overeats, its shell will become discolored. The discoloration is a sign to stop feeding your snail vegetables and reduce its diet to just the algae in the tank.
Do Nerite snails need an air pump?
Generally speaking, if your tank is less than 10 gallons in size, you will need to use a filter or bubbler with your nerite snails. If your tank is larger than 10 gallons, you may be able to get away without using one, but it is still recommended.
What kind of algae do Nerite snails eat?
green spot algaeNerite snails are one of the few animals that will eat green spot algae (GSA), which is difficult to remove from plants and hardscape.
Do Nerite snails eat cucumber?
One apple snail with two nerite snails, for example, will do just fine with one piece of cucumber. Add in a few shrimp and a couple more nerite snails and you're better off with two slices. If you're caring for a land snail or two, one slice will do. Aim for fairly thin slices, even if you need to drop in a few.
Why is my Nerite snail not eating algae?
If you're not feeding your nerite snails well, they will stop moving at some point. There are also high chances of this happening if the aquarium doesn't have any fish, plants, or algae since the nerite snails can also use the food leftovers of other organisms as food.
What can snails eat list?
Here's a list of the foods land snails commonly eat:Vegetables of all kinds.Fruit of all kinds.Grains.Fungi.Algae.Grasses and leaves.Tree bark.Flowers.More items...•
What do snails eat in an aquarium?
Almost all freshwater snails are beneficial scavengers that eat algae, dead plants, dead fish, extra fish food and other waste. This cleaning ability makes them an outstanding addition to your freshwater tank. Freshwater snails also come in many colors, shapes and sizes.
How do you make homemade snail food?
3:355:48Making Food for My SNAILS Like a Totally Normal Person - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAdd your snail slop to your best glass bowl for a truly lovely presentation. Now i have my blendedMoreAdd your snail slop to your best glass bowl for a truly lovely presentation. Now i have my blended food which is still warm and my prepared gelatin. And i'm going to mix it all together.
How do you keep a garden snail as a pet?
0:443:14How to Care for Garden Snails - Pet Snail - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipStart personalizing your snails home by adding plants. You can use moss grass. Or weeds be creative.MoreStart personalizing your snails home by adding plants. You can use moss grass. Or weeds be creative. You can even add some pebbles or stones around the plants as well as other figures and decorations.
What is a Nerite snail?
Nerite Snails – The Care, Feeding, and Breeding of Nerite Snails. Nerite snails (Neritina natalensis), also known as tiger snails, or zebra nerites, is a small freshwater snail that is prized for its algae eating ability. While it is a freshwater snail, it only breeds in brackish waters, so it has the added benefit of not overrunning an aquarium ...
How long do nerite snails live?
While most publications state nerite snails have a relatively short lifespan of 2-3 years, there is a significant amount of anecdotal evidence they can live far longer.
What is the maximum temperature of a tiger snail?
Temperature: 71-79 °F (22 -26 °C) Maximum Size: 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) Nerite snails (Neritina natalensis), also known as tiger snails, or zebra nerites, is a small freshwater snail that is prized for its algae eating ability. While it is a freshwater snail, it only breeds in brackish waters, so it has the added benefit ...
How long do baby snails grow?
It’s very important that this tank have at least one good source of algae in it. After they have spent a few weeks growing – and it must be at least four weeks – they can then be moved back to a freshwater tank. Reader Interactions.
What to feed a hykari tropical algae wafer?
The best food to feed them is a vegetarian sinking pellet and I strongly recommend Hikari Tropical Algae Wafers. Their diet can also be supplemented with blanched vegetables, and they will appreciate zucchini medallions, cucumber, broccoli, and lettuce.
Can Nerite snails live in a 10 gallon aquarium?
However, on the off chance a person is keeping these snails in a species-only tank, then a 10 gallon (37 liter) aquarium would be more than adequate.
Can bettas kill nerite snails?
Also, many fish like gouramis and bettas will attempt to attack snails, but usually won’t be able to kill them – though they often injure them. Something to be wary of with nerite snails, is that they like to wander out of the water in their aquarium. Many will climb out of the water and fall off the lip of their tank.
Types of Nerite Snails
There are many species of Nerite Snails. Thus, there is a great amount of variability between their color patterning and shell shapes. However, one thing stays the same about all of them, they all look gorgeous and they are awesome algae eaters.
About Nerite snails
Nerite snails are widespread around the world. In nature, they live mainly on hard substrates such as rocks and driftwood. Rivers, streams, creeks, mangrove swamps, lakes, lagoons, ponds, and mouth area of rivers are all their habitats.
Description and Appearance of some Nerite Snails
Zebra nerite snail. The basic colors range between an intense golden-yellow and light brown, and from greenish-yellow to yellowish-brown. The strips are uneven. There can be big light ridges at the base of the shell. Variety of dark bands give the zebra snail its characteristic appearance.
The Diet of Nerite Snails. Algae
All nerite snails are detritivores and herbivores and are widely known as one of, if not the most, efficient algae eaters out of all aquarium snails. They really like soft algae, green spot algae, green dust algae, hair algae, brown algae, and even black beard algae if no other sources of food are available.
How many Nerite Snails do you need?
If you are buying them for algae control, the general rule is 1 snail per 5-10 gallons (~20-40 liters). Of course, it depends on the conditions of your tank and how many algae you have.
The Behavior of Nerite Snails
Nerite snails are very peaceful and undemanding creatures. Once they have adjusted to new conditions in the aquarium, they become extremely robust and hardy enough.
Gender difference of Nerite Snails
Unlike some other snails, Nerites are not hermaphrodite. They have distinct sexes individually. The problem is that there are no external features that could distinguish between male and female. Therefore, nobody knows how to do it with the naked eye.
What do mystery snails eat?
I hear that Mystery Snails eat veggies like lettuce, spinach, zucchini, etc...
Can you clean glass aquariums with algae?
You can clean glass one day and it has algae on it the next. To see the algae in my lounge tank that I don't want to be there I have to look at the panels diagonally through the aquarium . I tried the watermelon it's a bit like strawberry,it think humans get more enjoyment from it than my fish anyway.
Does fertilizer help algae grow?
And adding more fertilizer should also encourage some algae to grow.
Can algae lights snails eat spinach?
#2. Carley. 2 years ago. Spinach is great, as it has more calcium than light green veggies. If it will eat blanched dark green veggies, then you are laughing, as the saying goes, because a lot of them will not eat anything but algae. If it only eats spinach, then that's ok. reply.
Can you put veggies in a tank?
All veggies are safe to add in a tank. Just don't leave them there. After the end of day, take them out. If in at night, take out in the morning.
How to handle nerite snails?
The safest way to handle nerite snail breeding is to slowly transition them to a tank with brackish water (sort of a hybrid between saltwater and freshwater) before breeding begins. This will not only help encourage the mating process but it will make things habitable for the larvae as well.
How long do nerite snails live?
The average nerite snail lifespan is somewhere between one and two years. It’s very uncommon for them to live longer than a couple of years (no matter how well you care for them). With that being said, poor living conditions will definitely shorten the lifespan of your nerite snails.
What snails are good for mixing things up?
We highly recommend the horned nerite snail if you’re looking to mix things up a bit.
What type of snail has horns?
The horned nerite snail is probably our favorite type on this list. They typically have a couple of yellow and black rows on their shells with a few horns protruding along a color line. This gives them a really unique look that adds a bit of flare compared to other snails.
How to treat snails in aquarium?
For aquarium snails, this usually means that there’s a parasite problem that needs to be addressed. The severity of the parasite will obviously impact how effective treatment is, but here’s what you should do: 1 Bring up the salinity in their tank to a specific gravity of 1.003 2 If that doesn’t clear things up in a few days you should think about quarantining the affected snails
What does a Nerite snail look like?
Nerite snails look pretty much like a regular aquatic snail. There isn’t anything that stands out and makes you go “whoa” unlike some other gastropods when it comes to their anatomy.
What is a zebra nerite snail?
Zebra Nerite Snail. The zebra nerite snail is one of the most popular variations you can get . It gets its name from the distinct stripes that cover its shell. These stripes are typically black but there are also plenty of cases where the stripes have been different colors as well.

Size
- Tiger Nerite snails are one of the larger Nerite snails available, ranging from 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Recommended Tank Parameters
- pH level range: 6.5 to 8.5
- Temperature range: 65° to 85° F
- Water type: kH 12-18; gH 12-18
- Notes from the owner:
Feeding
- Nerite Snails are herbivores and are widely known as one of, if not the most, voracious algae-eaters out of any snail. If there is not enough algae present in the aquarium, their diet can be supplemented with algae wafers or blanched vegetables (such as kale, zucchini, carrots, etc.). W…
Breeding
- As mentioned above, Nerite snails will not breed in pure freshwater. They can successfully be bred only in brackish water (semi-salty water, or water that has more salt water then fresh water, but less than sea water). If you are interested in breeding Nerite snails and you have a tank with brackish water, we suggest using a calcium-rich substrate (such as crushed coral) to support sh…
What to Expect from Us
- We generally ship young adult Nerite snails that may or may not be fully grown. If you receive smaller-sized snails, they will grow up to 1 or 1 1/2 inches in diameter in a relatively short amount of time. All Aquatic Arts brand plants and animals come with a 100% live arrival guarantee, plus free email support directly from the owners! All that we require is that you send us a clear, digita…