Malaysian Trumpet Snail care guide
Malaysian Trumpet Snail (Melanoides tuberculata) — minimum tank 20 L, temperature 20-28 °C, pH 7-8.5.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
The Malaysian Trumpet Snail (Melanoides tuberculata) is a small, livebearing prosobranch with a conical, often spirally ribbed shell. It is one of the most widely distributed freshwater snails and is prized in aquaria for the way it constantly aerates and turns the substrate while burrowing.
Taxonomy
- Family: Thiaridae
- Genus: Melanoides
- Scientific name: Melanoides tuberculata
- Common synonyms: MTS, Trumpet Snail, Red-rimmed Melania
Habitat
Native to streams, lakes and irrigation systems across tropical Africa and Asia, with introduced populations now established on every inhabited continent. The species tolerates a wide range of pH, hardness and temperature, including brackish water.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 20 L (5.3 US gal)
- Adult size: 1-3 cm
- Temperature: 20-28 °C (68-82 °F)
- pH: 7-8.5
- GH: 8-20 °dGH
- KH: 4-14 °dKH
- Lifespan: 1-2 years
Diet
A continuous detritivore that consumes uneaten food, biofilm and decaying organic matter both on and below the substrate surface. Active mostly at night; during the day most of the population stays buried in the gravel or sand.
Compatibility
Peaceful and beneficial in most communities. Compatible with shrimp and the majority of community fish. Loaches, pufferfish and the predatory Assassin Snail will hunt them. Populations are controlled naturally by available food — overfeeding triggers booms.
Breeding
Parthenogenetic and livebearing: females release miniature snails without mating. Reproduction is rapid in nutrient-rich tanks; controlling overfeeding is the most effective way to keep numbers in check.
Malaysian Trumpet Snail (Melanoides tuberculata) Breeding Guide
Overview
Melanoides tuberculata, the red-rimmed melania or Malaysian trumpet snail, is a cone-shaped burrowing snail of the family Thiaridae. It is primarily a burrowing species that is most active at night, providing natural substrate aeration, and it feeds chiefly on microalgae and detritus.
Sexing
Reproduction is parthenogenetic, so females reproduce without fertilization and males are not required. Males make up only 10 to 33 percent of the population, and a single female is enough to establish a colony.
Egg-laying / Reproduction
Females are ovoviviparous: they carry 1 to 64 developing embryos in a brood pouch and give live birth rather than laying eggs. Broods can contain over 70 offspring, and individuals begin reproducing at just 5 to 10 mm in length.
Juvenile Care
Juveniles are born live at 1.2 to 2.2 mm and immediately burrow into the substrate to feed, requiring no special care. The combination of parthenogenesis and high fecundity allows very rapid population growth, with field densities reaching about 10,000 per square metre.
Common Challenges
Because each female can found a colony and broods are large, numbers can climb quickly in nutrient-rich tanks. Limiting excess food helps control the population, and the species' proven invasive establishment, for example from Florida to Texas, means surplus snails should never be released.