Malaysian Trumpet Snail Breeding Guide

Melanoides tuberculata is a parthenogenetic livebearing snail: females need no mate and give birth to many crawling young, making it extremely prolific.

Overview

The Malaysian trumpet snail, Melanoides tuberculata, is a small burrowing freshwater snail of the family Thiaridae, native to northern Africa and southern Asia and now established worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters and in heated aquaria. It is most active at night. It is classified as an r-strategist, a fast-reproducing species, which explains why a population can grow quickly in a tank.

How It Reproduces

Females are both parthenogenic and ovoviviparous: they can reproduce without a mate, and they brood fertilized eggs in a brood pouch until they hatch internally. Males are rare, making up only 10 to 33 percent of a population, so a single snail is usually enough to start a colony.

Young

Rather than laying eggs externally, the female gives birth to live, fully formed young. A brood pouch holds 1-64 embryos, and broods may contain over 70 offspring. Juveniles measure 1.2-2.2 mm at birth and can begin reproducing themselves at a shell length of just 5-10 mm. Adult shells commonly reach about 20-36 mm, with exceptional specimens up to 80 mm.

Common Challenges

The main challenge is the opposite of most breeding projects: limiting numbers. Because reproduction is parthenogenetic and livebearing, populations expand rapidly when food is abundant. Reducing feeding lowers the population, since these snails respond to available food and detritus.