Apple snail Photo: Manuel Heiss
After purchase, apple snails should not only be transported wet, but like fish in a bag with water, because the water stores heat. A snail cools down much faster than half a liter of water.
Like fish, they must be carefully acclimated to the changed water parameters and new environment.
Apple snails spawn above the water. They climb about 10 to 20 centimeters out of the water. In nature they spawn on parts of plants above water, in the aquarium on aquarium edges, crossbars, under the cover, etc.
Aquariums with apple snails should therefore be well covered. Otherwise, the animals may fall completely out of the tank.
Open tanks are therefore unsuitable for apple snails. Also because the air humidity above the water surface is too low in open tanks, so that the spawning balls dry up.
However, there are also exceptions where apple snails have not escaped from an open tank and the eggs have developed normally.
Since the apple snails cover their house with a lid, they can survive on dry land for quite a long time. This is how apple snails have survived 4 days on dry land. Even if an apple snail looks dry on the outside, it’s worth trying to put it in a cup of water.
If, despite being covered, the snails work their way out through small gaps, the gaps can be sealed with fly screens, etc. Apple snails shouldn’t be socialized with fish that like to tug on things like antennae and fins, eg tiger mullet. The snails retreat into their house and can’t get out, eventually they die.
If apple snails that have been bothered in this way are placed in a small extra tank in good time, they usually recover quickly. Sensors that have been nibbled off also grow back.
Apple snails do not need extra feeding. Some of the flake food always gets stuck in the plants on the water surface, where it is then eaten by snails. There are always leftovers from tablet food for catfish.
Apple snails sometimes float at the top of the water.
Apple snails do not tolerate nitrite at all.
Apple snails sometimes lie around all day with their lids closed, but are out and about again the next day.
Killing old apple snails before they die in the aquarium should be considered. A single undetected dead apple snail can infest a fairly large aquarium.
» Show all apple snails*
gender differences
Apple snail Photo: Manuel Heiss
Unlike many other snail species, apple snails are not hermaphrodites. However, female and male apple snails are so similar that they are indistinguishable with the naked eye.
The females have a kind of tank in which they can store the males’ semen for a very long time. With this supply they can fertilize the eggs when the opportunity arises.
For example, an apple snail that lived alone for 8 months and without any apple snail society was suddenly able to lay eggs in several clutches over a period of one week. The eggs were fertilized and young snails hatched.
Apple snails dig in
Apple snail Photo: Philippe Coulon
Occasionally, apple snails dig themselves completely into the ground. Even apple snails the size of a table tennis ball at least dig in the ground. They are probably then on the trail of interesting food, eg grindal crawling under the ground, algae below the surface of the ground, etc. Apple snails can also burrow under unfavorable conditions. E.g. if the carbonate or total hardness is too low or unusual, if the nitrate values are too high, etc.
Sometimes apple snails dig small hollows and put them in there, apparently to rest.
Again and again, breaks are taken during which the snails no longer move. They often swim on the surface of the water with their heads pulled in. It is unclear whether the animals then find a lot of food in one place and grate, or whether they really rest.
The number and duration of these pauses may be related to the lighting. The more light there is in the tank, the more frequent and longer the breaks seem to be. At dusk in the aquarium, all apple snails are usually out and about.
They often swim on the surface of the water with the (retracted) head down
There seem to be different limit values within the individual species. There are over 70 species in the genus Pomacea alone, so general limit values cannot be specified.
Blue Pomacea bridgesi actually have a white shell. The coloring comes from the translucent body.
Striped apple snails may come from the genus Asolene. These only occur in a few places in South America.
What hardness of water do apple snails need?
The water hardness suitable for apple snails depends on the water in which the animals grew up.
Many apple snails live in their homeland in decidedly soft water areas. If they grow up in soft water, they usually don’t have any problems in soft water later on.
The snails always use the materials to build their shells, which they find in large quantities. In Central Europe these are carbonates. In their home country, on the other hand, there are very few carbonates and are therefore not used much.
Apple snails can therefore be raised and kept with water < 100 µS and even in 40 µS without any disadvantages.
Because the amount of dissolved usable salts is small in soft water and, in addition, many small, growing apple snails can soften water quite effectively cases, frequent water changes are important. The decisive factor is the difference in the housing structure:
- If a hard-water snail is placed in soft water, the shell will soon become pitted.
- If a soft-water snail is placed in hard water, the holes will not appear.
Apple snails that grew up in soft water may store more horn, snails that grew up in hard water store more lime.
Apple snails kept in soft water may grow a little slower than apple snails kept in hard water.
In order for apple snails that have grown up in hard water to feel comfortable over the long term, the overall hardness should be around 15°.
The water must contain some lime so that the snails can continue to build their houses. Otherwise the houses will have holes, which will sooner or later kill the apple snails. If necessary, the lime content can be increased with calcareous decorative objects or with coral chips or coral sand as a substrate, or part of the substrate, if the remaining stock allows this.
How do apple snails breathe?
Apple snails have both lungs and gills. And they use both. The «air tube» is a fold of skin and is used for additional breathing. If you occasionally extend the breathing tube, this does not necessarily mean that there is not enough oxygen in the water.
However, if there is too little oxygen in the water so that the gills are not sufficient, they rise to the surface to breathe via the lungs.
If apple snails use their breathing tube unusually often, the cause should be investigated.
If the breathing tube is injured by other fish, an affected apple snail is very likely to die. Apple snails should therefore not be kept with animals that like to nibble on antennae, fins, etc., such as Sumatran barbs and black-bellied tetras.
You can only prevent this by separating the corresponding animals from the apple snails.
Young apple snails breathe through their skin for the first 14 days. They are so small that the diffusion of oxygen from the water into the tissue is sufficient.
Adding salt to apple snails
A slight addition of salt of about 2 heaped teaspoons per 10 liters of water is tolerated by apple snails. Tower snails, plate snails, bladder snails and ramshorn snails also tolerate this amount of salt.
These species can therefore also be kept in aquariums with mollies and guppies if the water is salted accordingly.
How do you know if an apple snail is dead?
Apple snail Photo: Sebastian Karkus
If an apple snail no longer roams the tank every day, there is a risk that the animal is dead. Apple snails are very agile animals that rarely rest. Rather, they have to go to the surface of the water regularly to take in oxygen.
With dead animals, the housing lies on its side and is then open because the lid is no longer held by the muscle. Such an animal develops a large biomass that can quickly cause the water to deteriorate – prompt disposal is required.
But even such an apple snail shouldn’t be thrown in the garbage just because it doesn’t seem to move for a few days. It may be another snail lying on this spot. The snail can get sick because a medicine has been put in the water. The concentration of copper at the last water change may have been too high, etc.
If death is suspected, the snail can be floated to the surface in an empty margarine cup with some water. If the snail is really dead, you will smell it. But that can also take two weeks, because she can close her case really well. The gases need time to break through the seal, which they also need when their puddle in nature dries up.
Age of apple snails
As is so often the case with age information in aquaristics, there are also very different information for apple snails.
In the literature, 1.5 years is often given as the age. In the Mergus Atlas, volume 1, 11th edition, page 964, however, even 10 years are given. However, 10 years seems extremely high.
Experience has shown that most apple snails live between 12 and 18 months at normal aquarium temperatures of around 25°C.
At lower temperatures, apple snails can live 3 to 4 years.
Apple snail spawn and apple snail egg packets
Clutch of an apple snail Photo: Ralf Fischer
Apple snails lay their eggs above the water. The spawn looks like a thick, watery pink caterpillar and is slightly curved. The length is about 5 cm and the diameter is about 15 mm. The clutch consists of closely packed individual eggs with a diameter of approx. 2 mm.
These are surrounded by a lime coat. The scrim has a firm structure and therefore feels hard.
The scrim must remain moist, but under no circumstances should it be placed in water. In water, the developing snails drown. In a covered aquarium, the air above the water surface is usually moist enough even if the spawn appear dry on the outside. The outer «shell» dries up and hardens to keep the moisture inside stable. A lot of frogs do that too.
If you’ve accidentally crushed some eggs, you know they’re wet anyway. The…