Breeding the Gemmifera Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania gemmifera)
Tylomelania gemmifera is a rabbit snail from Lake Towuti, Sulawesi. A dioecious livebearer, it releases one large juvenile at a time and breeds slowly in warm hard alkaline water.
Overview
Tylomelania gemmifera is a rabbit snail from Lake Towuti, part of the Malili lake system on Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs to the family Pachychilidae and, in common with the whole genus, is dioecious. It is a slow grazer that needs the warm, hard, alkaline water typical of the ancient Sulawesi lakes.
Reproduction is slow and yields a single juvenile per event. As a lake-system endemic, breeding it in captivity reduces demand on wild populations.
Sexing
Sexes cannot be distinguished externally with confidence, and a solitary snail will not reproduce. Keeping a group is the reliable route to having both a male and a female; successful births confirm it.
Conditioning
Condition with stable parameters and continuous feeding on algae, biofilm and leaf litter. Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero and nitrate low; soft water must be avoided as it slowly dissolves the shell.
- Temperature: 26-30 °C (79-86 °F)
- pH: 7.5-8.5 (alkaline; avoid soft water)
- GH: 6-14 °dGH
- KH: 4-10 °dKH
- Minimum tank volume: 60 L
Breeding Setup
A standard, well-kept Sulawesi-style tank serves as the breeding setup. Use fine substrate, hiding places and low lighting. The key requirement is hard, warm, alkaline, oxygen-rich water with excellent quality.
Reproduction & Young
Tylomelania are ovoviviparous livebearers whose pallial oviduct has become a uterine brood pouch, releasing one fully shelled juvenile at a time. Newborns of some genus members reach almost 2 cm, among the largest live-born gastropods, and graze independently once they leave the calcareous capsule.
Common Challenges
The very low birth rate and long intervals between offspring test the keeper's patience. Soft or unstable water harms the shell and suppresses breeding. Keep clear of loaches, pufferfish and assassin snails.