Great Pond Snail

Lymnaea stagnalis

FreshwaterSnail

Care at a glance

Temperature: 64–75°F (18–24°C)
pH: 6.5–8.0
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 5 gal (20 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Origin: Europe
Family: Lymnaeidae

Overview

This is a peaceful bottom and surface crawler that lives on its own and does not need company. It grazes algae, biofilm, and dead plant matter, and it will chew on soft live plants too, so it is not ideal in a prized planted tank. It also eats leftover food and helps with cleanup. No special diet is needed if there is algae and detritus, but you can add blanched vegetables. Given enough food it breeds quickly, so expect numbers to climb.

In the wild

Great pond snails live across Europe in still and slow waters such as ponds, ditches, marshes, and lake edges thick with plants. They handle cool water and a wide range of conditions. In a tank they are easy on temperature, happy anywhere from the upper teens to mid 20s C, and they want hard enough water with pH from about 6.5 to 8 to keep their shells solid.

Good to know

Lymnaea stagnalis is a freshwater snail in the family Lymnaeidae. It grows to around 6 cm with a tall, pointed, spiraled shell. Like most pond snails it is a hermaphrodite, so any two can breed, and it lays jelly-like egg masses on plants and hard surfaces. It breathes air, surfacing to fill a simple lung.

Did you know

It comes up to gulp air at the surface because it breathes with a lung rather than gills. That same trait makes it a long-running lab animal. Its large, simple nervous system has made the great pond snail a standard model for studying memory and learning.