Three-color thorn snail

Clithon sowerbyana

Also known as Zebra thorn three color snail, Sowerby's nerite

FreshwaterBrackishSnail

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH: 7.0–8.2
Adult size: 0.8 in (2 cm)
Minimum tank: 5 gal (19 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Coastal streams of the Philippines and eastern Indonesia
Family: Neritidae

Overview

The three-color thorn snail is a peaceful, algae-grazing nerite kept for cleanup, not for company, so there is no need for a group; keep one, or add several to a larger tank to match the algae available. It rasps films of algae and biofilm from glass, rock, wood and leaves, and leaves healthy plants untouched. Because a clean tank soon runs short of food, offer algae wafers and Spirulina to keep it fed. It is entirely peaceful with fish and shrimp, but should not share a tank with snail-eating fish. A mature tank of about 19 liters or more, with plenty to graze, suits it.

In the wild

Clithon sowerbyana comes from clear coastal streams of the Philippines and eastern Indonesia, hard mineral-rich water close to the sea. Give it a mature, well-filtered tank with algae-covered surfaces, wood and rock, and stable, hard, alkaline conditions. It does best around pH 7.0 to 8.2 and 22 to 28 degrees Celsius; soft or acidic water dissolves the shell over time. A snug lid stops it wandering out above the waterline.

Good to know

Clithon sowerbyana is a small thorn nerite of the Neritidae, roughly 2 centimeters across, its shell carrying short spines and hugely variable striping and spotting. The pattern shifts so freely between individuals that no two shells in a shipment look alike. It grazes algae constantly and, in common with all Clithon, cannot reproduce in a freshwater aquarium.

Did you know

Because every snail is marked differently, keepers often buy a whole batch just to sort through the patterns, hunting for the boldest combinations of stripe and spot.

Tank mates

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