Nerite Snails: Care Guide

Nerite snails are one of the best algae eaters you can add to a freshwater tank. They're small, peaceful and pretty, with striped, spotted or horned shells, and unlike many snails, they won't multiply out of control. Here's how to keep them healthy.

Why keep nerites

• Algae control. They graze algae off glass, rocks, driftwood and plants all day.
• No population explosion. Nerites need brackish water for their eggs to hatch, so they can't breed in a normal freshwater tank.
• Peaceful. They ignore fish and shrimp.
• River tank friendly. They cling well in current.

Common types

• Zebra nerite: bold black and gold stripes.
• Tiger nerite: orange and black patterns.
• Olive nerite: plain olive-green.
• Horned nerite: small with spiky horns on the shell.
• Black racer nerite: dark and fast-moving.

Water needs

• Temperature: roughly the low to upper 70s °F, typical tropical range.
• pH: neutral to slightly alkaline. Acidic water slowly dissolves their shells.
• Hardness: moderate to hard water with enough calcium for shell growth.
• Stable, clean water with no ammonia or nitrite. See reading your test kit.
• No copper. Many fish medications contain copper, which is toxic to snails and shrimp.

Food

Nerites eat algae and biofilm. In a very clean tank, they can run out of food. Supplement with:

• Algae wafers
• Blanched vegetables like zucchini or spinach
• A calcium source if your water is soft

The white eggs

Female nerites lay small, hard white eggs on rocks, driftwood and glass. In freshwater, the eggs won't hatch, but they can stay stuck for a long time. Some people find them unsightly; you can scrape them off with a razor blade on glass or a stiff brush on rocks.

Escape artists

Nerites like to climb, and they'll often climb out of the water and out of the tank, especially when they're first added or the water quality is off. Use a tight lid and keep the water line a little below the top.

If a nerite keeps leaving the water, test your water.

Is my snail dead?

Nerites sometimes stay still for a day or two, or fall upside down and can't right themselves. Gently turn it over. If it's been motionless for a few days and smells bad when you lift it out, it's dead; remove it quickly so it doesn't foul the water.

Tankmates

Good: peaceful community fish, hillstream loaches, White Cloud minnows, danios, shrimp.

Avoid: pufferfish, loaches that eat snails (like clown loaches), assassin snails, large cichlids, and crayfish. See can crayfish live with fish.

Acclimating

Drip-acclimate new nerites slowly to your tank water. Sudden changes in pH and hardness are hard on them.

Lifespan

With good care, nerites often live a year or two, sometimes longer.

For an algae crew, nerites pair well with Amano shrimp. For a fast-water tank, see best fish for strong-current tanks.

Photo: Zebra Nerite Snail (Neritina natalensis sp. zebra).jpg) by Evan Baldonado, CC BY 4.0.

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