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Gold rabbit snail

Tylomelania gemmifera

Also known as yellow rabbit snail

FreshwaterSnail

Gold rabbit snail (Tylomelania gemmifera)
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Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
7.0–8.5
Adult size
2.8 in
7 cm
Minimum tank
16 gal
60 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Livebearer · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Pachychilidae
Origin
Sulawesi

Overview

The gold rabbit snail is a slow, peaceful Sulawesi grazer for the bottom of a warm, hard-water tank. It is best kept by someone with a little experience.

Did you know

Rabbit snails get their name from the drooping, wrinkled face beneath the shell, which many keepers think looks like a rabbit. The gold rabbit snail shows a bright yellow body against a dark, ridged shell.

Caring for the gold rabbit snail

Give gold rabbit snails a tank of 16 gal (60 L) or more, which suits their size and grazing. A deep bed of soft sand lets them burrow and graze the way they would in their home lakes. Driftwood, rock and hardy plants complete the scene.

Hold the temperature at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and the pH at 7.0 to 8.5, in hard water. Steady mineral levels keep the shell from pitting or thinning. Keep copper out of the tank, since it is toxic to snails.

They spend their time creeping over surfaces and sifting the substrate for algae, biofilm and soft leftovers. They mix calmly with fish, shrimp and other snails, and a single snail is content on its own.

Rabbit snails are livebearers rather than egg layers. The female carries her young internally and gives birth to a single large, fully formed juvenile at a time, usually every few weeks. They breed slowly, so they will not crowd a tank, but building up numbers is a patient project.

Good to know

The gold rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera, is one of the Sulawesi rabbit snails in the family Pachychilidae. Its long, ribbed, cone-shaped shell closes with a trapdoor operculum.

In the wild

The gold rabbit snail comes from the ancient lakes and connected rivers of Sulawesi in Indonesia, the only home of rabbit snails. The water there stays warm, hard and alkaline year round.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The gold rabbit snail is a peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a gold rabbit snail need?

A gold rabbit snail needs at least 16 gal (60 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a gold rabbit snail need?

A gold rabbit snail is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.5.

What does a gold rabbit snail eat?

A gold rabbit snail creeps over surfaces and sifts the substrate for algae, biofilm and soft leftovers.

How big does a gold rabbit snail get?

An adult gold rabbit snail reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).

How does a gold rabbit snail breed?

Gold rabbit snails are livebearers. The female carries her young inside her and gives birth to one large, fully formed baby at a time, usually every few weeks. Breeding them in numbers takes patience.

Related species