Mahogany trumpet snail

Melanoides maculata

Also known as Black trumpet snail, Spotted trumpet snail

FreshwaterSnail

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH: 7.0–8.2
Adult size: 1.6 in (4 cm)
Minimum tank: 5 gal (20 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Rivers of South and Southeast Asia
Family: Thiaridae

Overview

This is an easy, peaceful burrowing snail that needs no company of its own kind to do well, though it readily becomes many on its own. It spends its time under the surface of the substrate, turning and aerating the sand as it feeds on detritus, leftover food, and algae film. It will not harm plants, shrimp, or fish, so it fits almost any calm community. Give it a soft sand or fine gravel bed at least a couple of centimeters deep so it can dig, and it will quietly work the bottom day and night. A tank of 20 liters or more is plenty.

In the wild

The mahogany trumpet snail lives in warm rivers and still waters across South and Southeast Asia, burrowing in soft beds of sand and silt. A planted aquarium suits it well: give it a deep, soft substrate to work through and moderately hard, alkaline water. Keep it at 22 to 28 C with a pH of 7.0 to 8.2, since hard water keeps its cone-shaped shell solid and free of pitting.

Good to know

Melanoides maculata is a thiarid snail, a larger and darker relative of the common Malaysian trumpet snail, with a stout, patterned spire. It grows to about 4 centimeters. Breeding is easy and needs no effort from the keeper: it is a livebearer that drops tiny, fully formed young into the substrate, and populations build quickly wherever food is plentiful.

Did you know

Like other trumpet snails, it reproduces by parthenogenesis, so females clone themselves and need no mate. A single snail carried in on a plant can seed an entire population.

Tank mates

Mahogany trumpet snail is a peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.