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
- Egg layer · Medium
- Rarity
- Common
- Family
- Lymnaeidae
- Origin
- Europe
Overview
The great pond snail is a peaceful freshwater snail that helps with cleanup and lives on its own. It is easy to keep.
Did you know
The great pond snail has long served as a lab animal. Its large, simple nervous system has made it a standard model for studying memory and learning.
Caring for the great pond snail
Give the great pond snail at least 5 gal (20 L). It crawls over the bottom and up to the surface. It chews on soft live plants, so it is a poor fit for a prized planted tank.
The great pond snail is easy on temperature, comfortable anywhere from 64 to 75°F (18 to 24°C). Keep the pH at 6.5 to 8.0, in water hard enough to keep its shell solid.
It grazes algae, biofilm and dead plant matter, and it eats leftover food too. It needs no special diet if there is algae and detritus, but you can add blanched vegetables.
Like most pond snails, it is a hermaphrodite, so any two can breed. It lays jelly-like egg masses on plants and hard surfaces. Given enough food it breeds quickly, so expect numbers to climb.
Good to know
The great pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, is a freshwater snail in the family Lymnaeidae. It has a tall, pointed, spiraled shell. It breathes with a simple lung rather than gills, so it comes up to the surface to gulp air.
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.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The great pond 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.
Neocaridina shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
Freshwater1.6 in (4 cm) · 5 gal (19 L)59–84°F (15–29°C)
Guppy
Poecilia reticulata
FreshwaterBrackish2.4 in (6 cm) · 10 gal (38 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)
Neon tetra
Paracheirodon innesi
Freshwater1.5 in (3.8 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)70–77°F (21–25°C)
Micro bumblebee goby
Brachygobius nunus
FreshwaterBrackish1 in (2.5 cm) · 5 gal (20 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Dwarf livebearer
Neoheterandria elegans
Freshwater1 in (2.5 cm) · 5 gal (20 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Clown killifish
Epiplatys annulatus
Freshwater1.4 in (3.5 cm) · 7 gal (27 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a great pond snail need?
A great pond snail needs at least 5 gal (20 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a great pond snail need?
A great pond snail is comfortable at 64–75°F (18–24°C) with a pH of 6.5–8.0.
What does a great pond snail eat?
A great pond snail grazes algae, biofilm and dead plant matter, and it chews soft live plants. It also eats leftover food, and you can add blanched vegetables.
How big does a great pond snail get?
An adult great pond snail reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).
How does a great pond snail breed?
Great pond snails are hermaphrodites, so any two can breed. They lay jelly-like egg masses on plants and hard surfaces, and with enough food their numbers climb quickly.
Related species
0.8 in (2 cm)11 gal (40 L)50–84°F (10–29°C)Wandering snail
Ampullaceana balthica
0.8 in (2 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)
2.4 in (6 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Pagoda snail
Brotia pagodula
2.4 in (6 cm) · 5 gal (20 L)
2.8 in (7 cm)16 gal (60 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Gold rabbit snail
Tylomelania gemmifera
2.8 in (7 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)
2 in (5 cm)11 gal (40 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)Chopstick snail
Stenomelania torulosa
2 in (5 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)
2 in (5 cm)5 gal (20 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Giant Colombian ramshorn
Marisa cornuarietis
2 in (5 cm) · 5 gal (20 L)
2 in (5 cm)8 gal (30 L)64–77°F (18–25°C)Japanese trapdoor snail
Cipangopaludina malleata
2 in (5 cm) · 8 gal (30 L)