Quick Stats
Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons (37 liters)
Care Level: Easy
Water Conditions: PH 7.0-8.5 and Moderately Hard to Very Hard
Temperature: 71-79 °F (22-26 °C)
Maximum Size: 1 inch (2.5 centimeters)
Nerite snails (Neritina natalensis), also known as tiger snails, or zebra nerites, is a small freshwater snail that is prized for its algae eating ability. While it is a freshwater snail, it only breeds in brackish waters, so it has the added benefit of not overrunning an aquarium with larvae.
These snails are native to East Africa and can be found in the North at the mouth of the Jubba River in Somalia, while in the east it is found in the mangrove swamps and lagoons of Kenya and Tanzania. In the south, it is found in the coastal lowlands of Mozambique and South Africa. In fact, the name natalensis actually refers to Natal: an old province of South Africa (now known as KwaZulu-Natal).
While most publications state nerite snails have a relatively short lifespan of 2-3 years, there is a significant amount of anecdotal evidence they can live far longer. It’s not unusual for people to keep these snails for 4-5 years, and some aquarists claim they can live up to a decade. But with that being said, a lifespan of 2-3 years seems to be pretty average for these snails.
They also remain a manageable size for aquariums, and a full-grown nerite snail is about 1 inch in diameter (2.54 cm). Their small size, inability to reproduce in freshwater, and voracious appetite for algae, makes them among the best algae eaters available in the hobby.
Housing
Nerite snails are small and hardy enough that they can survive in nearly any size aquarium – assuming all their needs are met. But since they are rarely kept on their own, it’s best to focus on the aquarium size requirements of their tankmates. However, on the off chance a person is keeping these snails in a species-only tank, then a 10 gallon (37 liter) aquarium would be more than adequate.
These snails are incredibly docile and won’t bother any other inhabitants of an aquarium. However, fish aren’t always peaceful towards these snails and any snail eating fish should be avoided. This includes most loaches (botia), puffer fish, and any large, aggressive cichlids. Also, many fish like gouramis and bettas will attempt to attack snails, but usually won’t be able to kill them – though they often injure them.
Something to be wary of with nerite snails, is that they like to wander out of the water in their aquarium. Many will climb out of the water and fall off the lip of their tank. The fall often damages their shell, and if they aren’t found quickly to place them back in water, they will die of desiccation.
Feeding
Nerite snails are often purchased for their algae eating abilities, but their diet should still be supplemented with other foods to keep them in peak health. The best food to feed them is a vegetarian sinking pellet and I strongly recommend Hikari Tropical Algae Wafers.
Their diet can also be supplemented with blanched vegetables, and they will appreciate zucchini medallions, cucumber, broccoli, and lettuce. Make sure to remove any uneaten food within 24 hours, before it starts to decay and foul the water.
Breeding
Unlike many other snails, nerites aren’t hermaphroditic. They are either male or female, but are very difficult to sex. However, one easy way to sex them is to observe their breeding: The male is usually on top during mating. If that fails, the only other reliable way to sex them is to simply watch which of them is laying eggs.
Depending on your point of view, one downside to nerite snails, is that they don’t reproduce in freshwater. Breeding snails is often one of the most exciting aspects of keeping them, but with nerite snails, it’s very difficult to breed them and raise their larvae.
But if someone is interested in trying to breed these snails and wants a challenge, then they should start with setting up a brackish water tank. These fish will not breed in a freshwater or marine tank. Once the brackish water aquarium has been setup, a minimum of six nerite snails should be added. By adding six snails, it’s a virtual certainty there will be at least one male and female.
A calcium rich substrate can be used (such as crushed coral), but it‘s not required if the water is hard enough. Also, the water temperature should be kept above 75°F (24°C), which should help to encourage breeding. Though to be honest, these snails rarely need encouragement and will often lay eggs even in freshwater, room temperature tanks, where they can’t possibly hatch.
Once the eggs have been laid, the baby snails should be moved to a marine tank. It’s very important that this tank have at least one good source of algae in it. After they have spent a few weeks growing – and it must be at least four weeks – they can then be moved back to a freshwater tank.
I have what I just found out is a nerite snail. It’s been living with one other brown snail and one goldfish for about 3 years. The tank was peaceful, no problems but about 2 weeks ago the goldfish died and now I have at least 6 baby snails! I’m not getting any new fish so the snails can live as long as they want in there. I put an algae wafer in for them and a tiny piece of a green bean or a pea once a week but what’s going on with the new babies?
Are you sure they’re not from the brown snails? Nerites can’t reproduce asexually and they need brackish waters. But if you’re sure they’re from the nerite, then you have a bona fide mystery on your hands.
Otherwise, it sounds like you’re giving the snails a good environment and feeding them well. Hopefully they do well in the aquarium.
See that’s the thing; the babies are yellow stripped like the nerite so that’s what I don’t understand. Maybe they’ll turn brown as they get older but for now they look just like “mom” lol. And another thing, I thought the gold fish never bothered the snails but they must have eaten the babies but left the adults alone because every day I have more babies. Should I just leave them alone? How many can live in the tank? Thanks so much for your help
Goldfish will definitely snack on snails if given the chance. Let me know what happens as they grow, but they could just be pond snails with slightly off coloring when they’re young.
Apparently, my softened well water is brackish enough. Every time we change the water another group hatches. I had one in a 3-gallon with 3 male guppies. But, I liked the nerite so much that I bought another one. They laid eggs everywhere. I wasn’t worried because it was supposed to be “fresh water” Now there’s between 10 to fifteen of various sizes now and still more eggs in the tank. I keep convincing myself that it was a fluke but there are many sizes and when I change the water a week later I see more tiny ones. I love them but this is getting crazy. I never should have bought an extra snail. I have a gallon of green algae that I dip into every few days and I’m feeding the shrimp pellets in a votive cup to keep them from fouling the substrate. My first hint that something weird was happening was when my frogwart lost all its leaves but none were on the bottom of the tank. With the extra food they seem to have laid off the plants for now. The adults seem to be estivating. They laid on their backs for three weeks undulating after they laid these eggs. I tried putting them on top of the pellets in the votive glass and they ate a tiny bit but then crawled back to the eggs and turned upside down again. They haven’t moved now for several weeks. They still smell fresh and the tip of their feet are still pink. It has been fun but very surprising.
You can ship some to me 🙂 I’ll gladly house some if they are getting out of hand!
I have at least a dozen little guys now crawling in my 3.5 gallon, room temp fresh water tank that has only had one nerite snail in it ever and I bought that snail several months ago. Guess I’ve got a mystery too.
Well I bought 3 Nerite snails and I put them in a tank with 2 goldfish after a week or so one or more goldfish ate one of the snails. I then noticed eggs all over my tank, later to find out that they hatched in freshwater. So I went to the store and asked about making my tank brackish for the babies. I now have hundreds for babies all over. I’ve been feeding them cuttlebone and algae wafers. I can’t wait until I can see them without a magnifying glass.
I bought 2 Nerite snails last Monday. I have a freshwater tropical aquarium with 3 cardinal tetras – unfortunately 2 passed away due to new tank syndrome. When doing a water change this Monday I noticed one of the snails had laid loads of eggs and I even saw a baby snail! The next day I got back from work and the snail has laid loads more eggs, surprise surprise, there’s another baby snail on one of my decorations. I went to the place we bought the snails from and they said the eggs won’t hatch in freshwater, but that isn’t true as I currently have 2 that have! I’m hoping no more hatch by the time I do the next water change, my tank is only 20 Litres
That’s really cool that they bred in the aquarium. What sort of water are you using? Is it slightly salty well water by any chance?
Hi, we have a five gallon tank with 4 tetras, a bottom feeder and a nerite snail. Today we found about 10-13 baby snails wondering around the tank. Last time we added plants was about four months ago so I don’t think that is how we got them and they are almost gone.
Also, weird thing, I have pictures of the babies and while most are round with spots there are a couple that look kind of like a corkscrew.
All I can find online is that this kind of snail cannot reproduce without a mate or in freshwater , we really like them and want to keep them.
Any advise on how to keep them alive?
It sounds like they may be Malaysian trumpet snails. Those snails spend much of their time burrowing into the substrate, so they’re hard to notice until you have a lot of them. And they should be fine feeding on algae and leftover food in the aquarium. Not much effort is required to keep snails alive in a community aquarium like yours.
This article is not true regarding breeding in freshwater. I have a freshwater discus tank, no salt. Added two nerite and it’s one male and one female apparently. Eggs all over the wood and now many snails in aquarium.
Unless you use brackish well water – which is highly unlikely if you have a discus tank – it’s doubtful the nerite snails are the same species as the ones described in this article. While Neritina natalensis often lay eggs in fresh water aquariums, they need to reproduce in brackish water. It may be that you have another species of nerites, as I’ve heard some people have had mild success breeding horned nerite snails (Clithon corona) in freshwater aquariums.
Have an 18 gallon long with 6 mollies, three Amano shrimp, a nerite, a few trumpet snails and a plethora of pond snail hitch hikers from some plants I bought online. I know what the eggs from the trumpet and pond snails look like and I’ve started to see these little yellowish spots all over in the past day or two. My water is well water and I do not have a softener so I know there isn’t any salt in it. Looked up nerite eggs and they look exactly the same! Why would my nerite lay eggs if they are the only one? I assume they can’t breed with pond or trumpet snails
I have only one Nerita snail. How often should I feed him/her? I’m new in all this, I have an aquarium with plants only, no fish, so I assume he/she depends on algae and the food I give.
It should be getting most of what it needs from the algae in the aquarium, but it wouldn’t hurt to give the snail an occasional pinch of food every few days. But be very careful as it will eat very little and you don’t want to overfeed.