TankBud

Yellow giant rabbit snail

Tylomelania sarasinorum

Also known as Gold giant rabbit snail, Sarasin's rabbit snail

FreshwaterSnail

Yellow giant rabbit snail (Tylomelania sarasinorum)

Care at a glance

Temperature
79–86°F
26–30°C
pH
7.5–8.5
Adult size
4.7 in
12 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Herbivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Livebearer · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Pachychilidae
Origin
Lake Matano, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Overview

The yellow giant rabbit snail is one of the larger rabbit snails, a slow, peaceful grazer for a mature tank with hard water. It needs a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

The yellow giant rabbit snail's species name, sarasinorum, honors the Sarasin cousins, Paul and Fritz. These Swiss naturalists surveyed Sulawesi's ancient lakes and first documented much of the strange snail fauna that lives only there.

Caring for the yellow giant rabbit snail

A single yellow giant rabbit snail suits a tank of 20 gal (75 L) or more. It produces a fair amount of waste, so give it a mature tank with room and good filtration. Add a soft sand floor to plow, with rock and wood to graze.

It needs the hard, alkaline water of its home lake, kept at 79 to 86°F (26 to 30°C) with a pH of 7.5 to 8.5. Hold conditions stable, and keep calcium available for its shell.

It works over rock, sand and wood, grazing algae, biofilm and detritus. Offer sinking vegetable foods and blanched vegetables as well. It is not a social animal and needs no group, though a few can be kept together. It lives calmly among peaceful shrimp and fish.

It is a live-bearer like all rabbit snails, releasing one large, fully formed juvenile at a time rather than clutches of eggs. It never overruns a tank. Breeding is possible in the right hard, warm water, at a modest pace.

Good to know

Tylomelania sarasinorum is a member of the family Pachychilidae. It has a golden body and a near-black, drawn-out shell.

In the wild

The yellow giant rabbit snail lives on rock and sand in Lake Matano, one of the ancient, mineral-rich lakes of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The water there is warm and strongly alkaline.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The yellow giant 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 yellow giant rabbit snail need?

A yellow giant rabbit snail needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a yellow giant rabbit snail need?

A yellow giant rabbit snail is comfortable at 79–86°F (26–30°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.

What does a yellow giant rabbit snail eat?

A yellow giant rabbit snail grazes algae, biofilm and detritus off rock, sand and wood. Offer it sinking vegetable foods and blanched vegetables too.

How big does a yellow giant rabbit snail get?

An adult yellow giant rabbit snail reaches about 4.7 in (12 cm).

How does a yellow giant rabbit snail breed?

The yellow giant rabbit snail is a live-bearer that releases one large, fully formed juvenile at a time. It breeds at a modest pace in the right hard, warm water.

Related species