Hercules snail

Brotia herculea

Also known as Giant Brotia, Hercules Brotia

FreshwaterSnail

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 7.0–8.2
Adult size: 3.1 in (8 cm)
Minimum tank: 11 gal (40 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Fast rivers of Thailand and Myanmar
Family: Pachychilidae

Overview

The Hercules snail is a large, heavy-shelled grazer from flowing Southeast Asian rivers, slow-moving and peaceful. It spends its time creeping over rock, wood, and substrate, rasping algae and biofilm, and it can be hard on soft, delicate plants, so pair it with tough plants or none. There is no need to keep it in a group; a single snail, or a few, will get along quietly with peaceful tankmates. It does best with current, oxygen, and hard water to support its thick shell. Offer algae, biofilm, sinking vegetable foods, and the occasional protein-rich sinking food, and keep calcium available. A single snail is comfortable in a tank of around 40 liters or more.

In the wild

The Hercules snail lives in flowing rivers of Thailand and Myanmar, gripping the bottom in moving, well-oxygenated water. Recreate that with steady current, good aeration, and hard water, plus rock and driftwood to graze over. Keep it warm, from about 23 to 28 C, with a hard, alkaline pH between 7.0 and 8.2. Flow and oxygen suit a snail built for running water and carrying a heavy shell.

Good to know

Brotia herculea is the giant of its genus in the family Pachychilidae, reaching close to 8 to 10 centimeters, with an elongated, conical shell ridged and knobbed like carved stone. Named herculea for Hercules, it is a live-bearer, and males and females look alike from the outside. Its newborns emerge only a millimeter or two long, so raising a brood is slow and hard.

Did you know

It is named herculea, for Hercules, in tribute to its bulk among river snails, yet its live-born young start life at just one to two millimeters, a tiny beginning for a snail that ends up as the giant of its genus.