Malaysian Trumpet Snail care guide
Malaysian Trumpet Snail (Melanoides tuberculata) — minimum tank 20 L, temperature 20-28 °C, pH 7-8.5.
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.