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Himalayan rabbit snail

Tylomelania marwotoae

FreshwaterSnail

Himalayan rabbit snail (Tylomelania marwotoae)

Care at a glance

Temperature
77–86°F
25–30°C
pH
7.0–8.5
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
11 gal
40 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Livebearer · Hard
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Pachychilidae
Origin
Sulawesi

Overview

The Himalayan rabbit snail is a small Sulawesi snail with a patterned shell. It suits the bottom of a peaceful community tank and is easy to keep.

Did you know

Rabbit snails are among the very few aquarium snails that give birth to live young. A female may go weeks between babies, so even a group grows into a colony only very gradually.

Caring for the Himalayan rabbit snail

Give the Himalayan rabbit snail a tank of 11 gal (40 L) or more, so it has room to roam. A deep layer of soft sand is important, since the snail spends much of its time plowing through it for food.

Keep it in hard water at 77 to 86°F (25 to 30°C) with a pH of 7.0 to 8.5. Stable minerals and clean, well-filtered water keep it healthy and its shell intact. It must never meet copper, which poisons snails.

It grazes quietly over wood, rock and sand for algae, biofilm and detritus. It is peaceful and pays no attention to tank mates, so it settles in well with community fish and shrimp. It is content kept singly.

This snail is a livebearer, releasing a single well-developed juvenile at a time instead of egg clutches. The output is so low, and the young grow so slowly, that breeding a colony on purpose is rated hard.

Good to know

The Himalayan rabbit snail, Tylomelania marwotoae, is a described Sulawesi species in the family Pachychilidae. It is one of many rabbit snails still uncommon in the hobby. Its long, whorled shell and horny trapdoor are typical of the group.

In the wild

The Himalayan rabbit snail is not from the Himalayas at all, despite its trade name. It comes from Sulawesi in Indonesia, where rabbit snails live nowhere else. Its home waters run warm and hard, with an alkaline pH.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Himalayan 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 Himalayan rabbit snail need?

A Himalayan rabbit snail needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Himalayan rabbit snail need?

A Himalayan rabbit snail is comfortable at 77–86°F (25–30°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.5.

What does a Himalayan rabbit snail eat?

A Himalayan rabbit snail grazes over wood, rock and sand for algae, biofilm and detritus.

How big does a Himalayan rabbit snail get?

An adult Himalayan rabbit snail reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

How does a Himalayan rabbit snail breed?

The Himalayan rabbit snail is a livebearer that releases one well-developed baby at a time. The output is low and the young grow slowly, so breeding a colony is hard.

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