Black Devil Snail (Faunus ater) Care Guide
A large, elegant freshwater snail with a sleek, elongated black conical shell that can reach up to 7 cm. Completely peaceful and an efficient algae and detritus consumer. Cannot breed in freshwater.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Faunus ater is a species in the family Pachychilidae. A large, elegant freshwater snail with a sleek, elongated black conical shell that can reach up to 7 cm. Completely peaceful and an efficient algae and detritus consumer. Cannot breed in freshwater.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pachychilidae
- Genus: Faunus
- Scientific name: Faunus ater
- Other names: Faunus Snail, Lava Snail
- Origin: Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Philippines
Habitat
Faunus ater, a long, dark-shelled snail from brackish estuaries and lower freshwater reaches of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and the Philippines. It grazes biofilm, algae and detritus and does not reproduce in pure fresh water.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 40 L
- Temperature: 22-28 °C
- pH: 7-8.5
- GH: 6-18 °dGH
- Water flow: moderate
- Adult size: 5-7 cm
- Lifespan: 3-6 years
- Difficulty: beginner
Diet
Classified as omnivore. Recommended feeding frequency: 1x daily. In captivity, offer a varied diet appropriate to the species — quality prepared foods supplemented with frozen or live items of suitable size.
Compatibility
- Temperament: peaceful
- Position in tank: bottom
- Compatible tank mates: Any Peaceful Fish, Cherry Shrimp, Corydoras
- Avoid with: Assassin Snail, Clown Loach, Puffer Fish
Breeding
- Breeding strategy: egg-layer
- Breeding difficulty: advanced
Breeding the Black Devil Snail (Faunus ater)
Overview
The black devil snail, listed here under the trade name applied to Faunus ater, is an elongate, jet-black grazing snail in the family Pachychilidae. It is notable as the only pachychilid that lives in slightly brackish water, while all other members of the family are freshwater snails; it has also been reported from freshwater. It occurs widely across South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific, from India and Sri Lanka through Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines to northern Australia and Pacific islands.
In the aquarium it is valued as a strong algae and biofilm grazer that does not damage live plants. The latin name on the record is recorded verbatim as Faunus ater.
Reproduction & Young
Faunus ater is oviparous and probably has free-swimming larvae. Because the species is tied to brackish-influenced estuarine and river habitats, its larval stage is not supported by the conditions of a standard freshwater aquarium. As a result, the species is not reliably bred in freshwater home tanks, and the elongate shells seen for sale are wild-collected rather than home-reared.
Common Challenges
The combination of egg-laying with free-swimming larvae and a brackish-water association makes home reproduction impractical; freshwater conditions do not carry the larvae through development. Maintain hard, alkaline, well-oxygenated water for the adults and keep them away from snail predators such as loaches and pufferfish.