TankBud

Olive nerite

Vittina usnea

Also known as Olive nerite snail, Neritina reclivata, Neritina usnea, Vitta usnea

FreshwaterBrackishSnail

Olive nerite (Vittina usnea)
(c) eamonccorbett, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
7.0–8.5
Adult size
0.8 in
2 cm
Minimum tank
5 gal
20 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Herbivore
Difficulty
Beginner
Breeding
Egg layer · Hard
Rarity
Common
Family
Neritidae
Origin
Brackish and coastal waters of the southeastern United States, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean

Overview

The olive nerite is a peaceful algae grazer for the glass and hardscape of a freshwater or brackish tank. It is a good first snail.

Did you know

The olive nerite is the workhorse olive-green nerite most people picture when they hear the words nerite snail. It is regularly mislabeled, though, and a tank of so-called olive nerites can be a mix of look-alike species.

Caring for the olive nerite

Olive nerites do equally well in a freshwater or brackish tank of at least 5 gal (20 L). They sit on the bottom and hardscape and do not school. Keep one or several to match the algae supply, not for company. An olive nerite can wander above the waterline and dry out if it escapes, so cover the tank with a tight lid.

Hold the water stable, hard and alkaline, at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) with a pH of 7.0 to 8.5. Olive nerites work over glass, rock and wood, grazing algae and biofilm without touching plants. If the tank runs low on natural growth, feed algae wafers or blanched vegetables.

The olive nerite is peaceful and safe in a community tank. It dots surfaces with hard white egg capsules, but it cannot complete its life cycle in freshwater. The larvae need brackish or marine water to develop, so the eggs will not hatch into more snails in a normal tank.

Good to know

The true olive nerite of the trade is Vittina usnea, a nerite snail in the family Neritidae. Its thick olive-green shell is often marked with fine dark lines. It is widely sold under the older names Neritina reclivata and Neritina usnea. It is a separate species from the virgin nerite, Vitta virginea, though the two are often confused.

In the wild

Olive nerites come from brackish estuaries and coastal waters of the southeastern United States, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. There they graze algae off hard surfaces in the intertidal zone. They are euryhaline, living across a wide salinity band from fresh to fairly salty water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The olive nerite 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 an olive nerite need?

An olive nerite needs at least 5 gal (20 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an olive nerite need?

An olive nerite is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.5.

What does an olive nerite eat?

An olive nerite grazes algae and biofilm off glass, rock and wood, and it leaves plants alone. If natural growth runs low, feed it algae wafers or blanched vegetables.

How big does an olive nerite get?

An adult olive nerite reaches about 0.8 in (2 cm).

How does an olive nerite breed?

An olive nerite lays hard white egg capsules, but they will not hatch into more snails in a normal tank. Its larvae need brackish or marine water to develop.

Related species