Tiger Nerite Snail care guide
Tiger Nerite Snail (Neritina turrita) — minimum tank 20 L, temperature 22-28 °C, pH 7-8.5.
Overview
Tiger Nerite Snail (Neritina turrita) is a freshwater (or brackish) snail of the family Neritidae, listed in the Aquairi knowledge base as a beginner-level species. Nerite with golden-orange shell with dark zebra-like stripes resembling a tiger. Excellent algae grazer.
Taxonomy
- Family: Neritidae
- Genus: Neritina
- Scientific name: Neritina turrita
- Common synonyms: Tiger Nerite
Habitat
Neritid snails inhabit tropical and subtropical coastal streams and estuaries worldwide, from East Africa and the Indo-Pacific to the Caribbean. Most species require brackish or marine water for larval development, although adults thrive in pure freshwater aquariums. The Aquairi knowledge base records this entry from: Southeast Asia.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 20 L (5.3 US gal)
- Adult size: 2-3 cm
- Temperature: 22-28 °C (72-82 °F)
- pH: 7-8.5
- GH: 6-18 °dGH
- KH: 4-12 °dKH
- Lifespan: 1-2 years
Diet
A herbivorous grazer. Diet consists almost entirely of biofilm and soft algae rasped from solid surfaces. In the aquarium no supplementary feeding is needed in a mature tank; in nutrient-poor systems, occasional blanched spinach, zucchini or algae wafers supplement intake.
Compatibility
Peaceful algae-grazing snail that does not damage live plants and ignores tank mates of any size. Suitable tank mates listed in the Aquairi knowledge base: Most peaceful fish, Shrimp. Should be kept away from: Loaches, Pufferfish, Crayfish.
Breeding
Sexual reproduction with an obligatory salt or brackish larval phase. Females release planktonic larvae that develop only in higher-salinity water and metamorphose into the juvenile stage there before migrating back upstream. As a result, the species essentially does not reproduce in pure freshwater aquariums; eggs may be laid on hardscape, but the larvae cannot complete development.