Great pond snail

Care at a glance

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.

Common questions

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