TankBud

White wizard snail

Filopaludina martensi

Also known as Ghost wizard piano snail

FreshwaterSnail

White wizard snail (Filopaludina martensi)
(c) Utain Pummarin, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
6.5–8.0
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
Viviparidae
Origin
Southeast Asia

Overview

The white wizard snail is a peaceful, burrowing snail that suits a freshwater community tank with sand. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

The white wizard snail is one of the few aquarium snails that filter feeds. It spends so much time buried that a tank can look empty until the snails surface to roam.

Caring for the white wizard snail

Give white wizard snails a tank of at least 11 gal (40 L) with a deep, soft sand bed. The sand bed is the key feature, since they burrow and feed within it much as they would in the wild. Add gentle flow and some plants.

This adaptable snail settles into water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) with a pH of 6.5 to 8.0. Moderately hard, clean water keeps the shell solid and in good shape. Keep copper out, since it is toxic to snails.

They burrow through the sand and sift it for algae, biofilm and detritus. They can also filter tiny particles from the water with their gill.

White wizard snails leave healthy plants alone and get along with fish, shrimp and other snails. A single snail needs no company.

They are livebearers that brood their young inside and give birth to fully formed miniature snails. Reproduction is slow and the newborns are small and easily lost, so building up numbers in a tank is hard.

Good to know

Filopaludina martensi is a large river snail in the family Viviparidae, which carries both a gill and a trapdoor operculum. Its shell is rounded, pale and banded. It is also sold as the ghost wizard piano snail.

In the wild

The white wizard snail is native to Southeast Asia. It lives in slow rivers, ponds, canals and rice paddies with soft, silty or sandy bottoms.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The white wizard 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 white wizard snail need?

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

What temperature and pH does a white wizard snail need?

A white wizard snail is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 6.5–8.0.

What does a white wizard snail eat?

A white wizard snail burrows through the sand and sifts it for algae, biofilm and detritus. It can also filter tiny particles from the water with its gill.

How big does a white wizard snail get?

An adult white wizard snail reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

How does a white wizard snail breed?

White wizard snails are livebearers that give birth to fully formed miniature snails. Reproduction is slow and the newborns are small and easily lost, so building up numbers is hard.

Related species