The Rabbit Snail – scientifically known as the Tylomelania – is a genus of beautiful snails that are loved by aquarium keepers from around the world. This genus of snail contains about 50 or more beautiful species, each with different color, shape, and size, but the same care guidelines as most of them live in similar conditions. It is a genus of freshwater snails that you can put in your aquarium and you would love to have them around as they are nature’s cleaners. They would help you keep your tank clean naturally.
These are some of the most beautiful snail species that you can get for your aquarium. Rabbit Snails have very exotic color combinations, and their appearance is also unique. Also, these snails are known for their peaceful nature and adaptability to different environments or tanks. They do not require much maintenance or care and can grow by themselves. All you have to do is introduce them into your peaceful fish aquarium and they would create a life for themselves in the bottom of the tank and on the leaves of plants in your aquarium.
You will not have to worry about their diet as they can find food for themselves most of the time. Unlike other snail species, the Rabbit Snails are not aggressive breeders in the tanks. They rarely mate, and breed, which is very helpful in keeping their population from exploding. But it is also easy to breed them in a tank if you want to. Below is a complete care guide about Rabbit Snails and how to keep them healthy and alive in your aquarium for a long time.
Basic Facts Table
| Family | Pachychilidae |
| Lifespan | Up to 3 years |
| Size | 3 inches |
| Colors | Multiple – depending on species |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Freshwater or Saltwater | Freshwater |
| Care Level | Minimum care |
| Compatibility | Peaceful community aquariums |
Tank Companions
Here is a list of the possible tank mates or tank companions of the Rabbit Snail.
- Most small fish species
- Danios
- Tetras
- Gouramis
- Guppies
- Most Shrimps,
- Other snails
How To Select Tank Companions?
If you are wondering about which fish, snail, or shrimp species you can and should select for the tank of Rabbit Snails, you should know that there are some criteria to be met before anything can be put in the tank of Rabbit Snails. These criteria are to ensure the safety, and well-being of your snails, aquatic ecosystem, and to make sure that your tank mates would get along well with the Rabbit Snails. You will have to make sure that the possible tank mates for Rabbit Snails pass through all of these criteria. Here are further details about these.
Peaceful Nature; is a very important factor to consider when selecting a tank mate for the Rabbit Snails. Many fish species get along very well with the Rabbit Snails. But some fish species eat these snails as their food. For that reason, you need to make sure that your tank mates would not eat the Rabbit Snails or baby Rabbit Snails. It mostly happens, when you introduce a highly aggressive fish in the tank of a peaceful snail colony. An aggressive fish species would bully them, harm them, and would try to eat them. In most cases, their hard shell can protect them, but these snails still need more protection as they are not completely invincible in their shell. Some fish species eat them with their shell, so it is very important to avoid this type of aggressive fish species for the tank of Rabbit Snails.
Small Size; apart from peaceful nature, the second important factor is the size of possible tank mates for the Rabbit Snails. This is important to consider because fish and tank mates of small size cannot eat the Rabbit Snails or their babies. This means you can keep most small fish, critters, shrimps, and crabs in the same tank. But you cannot keep the Rabbit Snails in the tank of large fish species. Large fish species have bigger mouths, which means they can eat the whole snail, sometimes including their shells. The only way to prevent this is by keeping such large fish species out of the tank of these small critters.
Same Living Conditions and Parameters; you also need to make sure that the tank mates you are selecting for the tank of Rabbit Snail species, can live in the same type of conditions or water parameters. For example, you cannot keep them with the fish that live in marine water, or brackish waters. If you do that, your snails would die as they would not be getting the type of living conditions they need. Similarly, if you introduced a fish species that cannot live in the same water conditions in the tank of a Rabbit Snail, it would die within no time. For that reason, you need to make sure that the tank mate is compatible and can live in the same conditions as the Rabbit Snail species that you have in your tank.
Species Overview
As mentioned above, the Rabbit Snail is not a single species of snail. Instead, it is a genus of snails. There are more than 50 species of Rabbit Snails, and many of them are popular for aquarium use. Most species with vibrant colors are used in the fish tanks. You can ask your local fish tank trader or check online markets for these snails. Most of these snail species are native to Sulawesi, Indonesia in East Asia. Rabbit Snails are freshwater snails, and they live in lakes, rivers, and damp habitats in these areas. Also, they are found in mountainous regions.
These snails can survive a range of different habitats, which makes it easy to take care of them in the tank conditions as they can adapt to the conditions that you are providing them. But this does not mean that you can completely acclimate them, it is very important to maintain their habitat according to their specific living conditions. These snails eat the algae in your tank, which helps you keep your tank clean, this is one of the reasons a lot of fish keepers put them in the tank. But this is not the only reason, other reasons include their beauty, uniqueness, colorful and vibrant appearance, and easy care.
Snail species are known for being active breeders, but these snails are different. They do not breed unless they are provided specific conditions, which is very helpful as it allows you to keep their population in control. The average lifespan of these snails is 1.5 years, but it can be extended to up to 3 years or even more. For this, you will have to provide your snails very excellent care and keep your tank conditions and parameters within the given limits.
Appearance
The exact appearance of the Rabbit Snail depends on the species that you are selecting. Most of them can grow as big as three inches. They have a very hard shell that spirals with their age, making it possible for them to stay in their shell. It is their protective cover that helps them avoid being eaten by most of the small and large fish species in the tank. These snails are known as Rabbit Snails because they have two antennas on their heads, which are similar to the ears of bunnies or rabbits.
When it comes to the color of a snail, or the shape of the spiraling of the shell, that is also dependent on the species. For most Rabbit Snails, the color of their inner body that is covered with snails has a yellow and white tint, meanwhile, the cover or shell of these snails can have dark brown to blackish colors, similar to the color of hardwood. The number of spirals on the shell shows the age of the snail. A large shell with more spirals means that the snail matures and is old, and the small shell shows that the snail is young.
So, when you are buying these snails, pay close attention to the size of these snails. Selecting a large snail might seem like a good idea, but it is not because if you selected a large snail, it would mean that it has already lived more than half of its lifespan, and it would soon die. So, if you want to keep the snail in your tank for a long time, you should select small Rabbit Snails. Here is a list of the most popular species of Rabbit Snails and their specific appearances.
- Black Rabbit Snails: It is a type of Rabbit Snail that has a black-colored shell and black internal organs. The rest of the body of this snail is similar to other species of Rabbit Snails.
- White Spotted Rabbit Snails: White-spotted Rabbit Snails are uncommon, but you can find them in aquariums. These are a beautiful breed/species of Rabbit Snails that have white spots that cover the shell of these snails.
- Yellow Rabbit Snails: Yellow Rabbit Snail is also one of the most popular and well-known species of these snails. It has a brownish shell and yellow internal organs that make it look amazing and beautiful.
Origin/Native
The Rabbit Snails were first discovered in Sulawesi, Indonesia by researchers, who documented them and brought them to Europe, and America. Since then, there have been dozens of discoveries of these snails in different places in Indonesia. Most of these snails live in the mountain region, where there are many lakes and wet conditions. This type of slightly warm, and wet conditions are perfect for their growth.
Rabbit Snail Lifespan
Rabbit Snails can live for up to 3 years if you provide them excellent care, and maintain proper parameters in their tank. The exact lifespan of each one depends on the species of snails. the Rabbit Snail’s genus. The average lifespan of these snails is 1.5 years, but in most cases, these snails die within the first year. It is because they need proper care that most fish keepers neglect and that can kill these snails.
If you want your snails to live longer, thrive, and be healthy, you can do this by maintaining proper parameters, keeping the tank clean, and making sure that your snails are getting enough food and supplements that they need to grow. If these conditions are not being met, your snails would die within a year or two. So, make sure that you provide the best living conditions so that you can extend the lifespan of your Rabbit Snails.
Habitat and Tank Conditions
The habitat and tank conditions determine the health, and lifespan of your snail. For that reason, it is very important to make sure that you create the best living conditions possible for the tank of Rabbit Snails. At first, you will have to start with the tank, and then you will move on to creating a tank setup, or habitat that is suitable for your Rabbit Snail species. After that, you will add water and maintain the parameters within specific ranges. Below are further details about creating and maintaining a habitat for the Rabbit Snail species.
Tank Size
These are small snails, so if you are only creating an aquarium for them, you can use a very small tank of five to ten gallons. But it is not a recommended size when you are creating a community tank. So, there is no exact size limit that you must select. However, there are some recommendations and ways to help you find the most suitable tank for your Rabbit Snail aquarium. First of all, you need to determine what type of aquarium you are creating, you need to think of aquarium fish that you will add, snails, shrimps, or any other tank mates that you would want in your aquarium.
After that, you need to calculate the fish per gallon ratio of the fish (tank mates) in your tank. If you are putting more than one type of fish, then get an average ratio. Then multiply this ratio with the total number of fish. This will give you a rough idea of the size of your tank. Also, it is better to select a long, and wide tank instead of a tall, and thin tank for the aquarium of Rabbit Snails. Because these snails spend most of their time exploring the bottom layer of the tank, having a wide and long tank would allow you to create a more interesting habitat in the bottom of the tank for your snails. It is also beneficial for the fish as it would allow more oxygen absorption in water.
Here are some recommendations related to size; if you are creating a tank for the snails only, you can use a smaller tank of 5 to 10 gallons, however, if you use a large tank it would allow you to make your tank look more creative and open. Also, if you are adding small fish species that are less than 3 inches, you can use a 10 to 20-gallon tank. But if you are adding a large fish in your tank, you should get a 30+ gallon capacity tank because large fish need more space to swim.
Tank Setup
For a tank of Rabbit Snails and some fish companions, you can create a perfect tank by adding some soft substrate in the bottom layer. Make sure that your substrate covers three inches of the bottom of the tank. It would allow it to be more breathable and would act as a natural cleaner for your tank. Also, add some plants to the tank to make it look natural. Rabbit Snails are known for climbing plants, driftwood, caves, or any other thing that you put in their tank for educational purposes.
After you are done decorating your tank, you can start adding the filter, heater, and lights in your aquarium to complete the setup. The filter would provide the flow and would filter everything from your water, a heater would help you monitor and maintain the temperature in the tank and the standard aquarium lights are important as well. After you are done adding these components, your tank setup would be complete and you can fill the tank with water. Let the water settle in for a few days, and check the parameters before adding any Rabbit Snails in that aquarium.
Water Conditions/Parameters
Here is a list of the water conditions that you need to maintain in your tank.
- The temperature should be kept between 68°F to 86°F or 20°C to 30°C.
- The pH level should be between 7.3 to 8.5 or partially alkaline.
- Water hardness should be maintained under 15dKH.
These are important parameters that you need to maintain within these limits. If you failed to do that, your fish, and snail would suffer because of this and would die quickly. For that reason, you should keep checking these given parameters and make sure that they remain within the given limits.
Water Source
For the tank of Rabbit Snails, you can use water from any source. Just make sure that the water is clean and has been tested for use in aquariums. If your water is not clean, get it filtered first and then use it in the aquarium.
Behavior and Temperament
Rabbit Snails are some of the peaceful critters that you can get for your tank. These are slow-moving creatures, who live at the bottom of the tank peacefully. Most of the time, they just sit in one place and filter the tank water. They need outside input for breeding. Rabbit Snails have a large foot (actual body) and they use this foot to drag their hard shell. When these snails face danger, the foot resides in the shell to take shelter. You should not worry if your Rabbit Snail isn’t moving, because they like to stay in one place and do their job of filtering and cleaning. After that, they would change their place and do the same thing again.
Breeding Rabbit Snail
Most snail species breed by themselves, but not the Rabbit Snails. They do not breed on their own, they need outside input in aquarium habitats. Because they need specific breeding requirements to be met and these are hard to create in the tank. Here is how you can breed them in your tank.
- At first, you will notice that a mature male would leave a huge amount of sperms that are thick in the bottom layer or near the leaves where females are residing.
- Females would take these sperms and would keep them for a few weeks until they are ready to breed.
- After that, the female would lay eggs and these eggs will tank sometime before they hatch and turn into small snail babies.
As you know, this is a complicated process of breeding and has low chances of success. It is both good and bad at the same time. It is good because it allows you to control the population of snails in your aquariums. It is bad because it lowers the chances of successful breeding.
Diet of Rabbit Snail
The diet of Rabbit Snails is omnivorous, as they can eat almost anything. This includes algae, leftover fish food, and anything small enough to fit in their mouths. In aquariums, you can feed them algae flakes, sinking pellets, broccoli, and spinach. There is also specific snail food available that you can use for the tank of Rabbit Snails.
Diseases of Rabbit Snail
Here is a list of the possible issues that your Rabbit Snails may face in the tank.
- Leeches: The population of Rabbit Snails is very susceptible to leeches, and leeches are born infections. In most cases, leeches are too small, and they can stick to the body of snails. You will have to clean your tank and kill the leeches.
- Bacterial Infections: Bacterial infections are uncommon, but they do happen. You will notice that your snail is behaving differently, and its shell may change color. It can be treated with antibiotics.
Conclusion – Is Rabbit Snail Suitable For Your Aquarium?
If you want to add something interesting and unique to your tank, then the addition of Rabbit Snails would be a great idea. They are small, peaceful critters that would help you keep your tank clean. Also, these small creatures are beautiful and colorful. Unlike fish, they do not move that much in the aquarium, but they display a unique type of behavior. These characteristics of the Rabbit Snails make them an excellent candidate for your aquarium.
FAQs
Question: What should you feed to your Rabbit Snails?
Answer: Rabbit Snails are omnivores, meaning that you can feed them a variety of foods, including sinking pellets, broccoli, spinach, and algae flakes. Most snails can get enough food by foraging the tank bottom.
Question: How do the Rabbit Snails replicate?
Answer: Rabbit Snails have a unique breeding habit, the male provides the sperm to the female and the female hangs around these sperms for some time. After that, she lays eggs, and these eggs hatch. This is how the Rabbit Snails replicate.
Question: What is the right aquarium size for Rabbit Snails?
Answer: It depends on the conditions. For example, if you are only keeping snails, a ten-gallon tank is enough. But if you want to create a community tank, you will have to use a large tank of 20 to 30 gallons.
