Most aquarium snails eat algae, biofilm, leftover fish food and dead or dying plant matter. Supplement that with sinking algae wafers, blanched vegetables and a calcium source. Snails do not hunt healthy fish, but they will eat a fish that has already died, and assassin snails eat other snails. Here is what the common types eat and how to feed them.
Table of Contents:
Common Aquarium Snails
Freshwater Snails
These are the snails most people keep, and most are scavengers:
- Nerite snails: Algae grazers. They eat algae, leftover food and decaying plant material, and leave healthy plants alone.
- Mystery (apple) snails: Scavengers that eat fish food, algae, biofilm and dead plants or animals.
- Ramshorn, bladder and Malaysian trumpet snails: Often arrive on plants. They eat algae, leftover food, dead plant matter and fish waste, and their numbers rise with overfeeding. Trumpet snails burrow in the substrate and hide there by day.
- Assassin snails: Carnivores. They hunt and eat other snails, and also take sinking protein foods such as bloodworms.
Saltwater Snails
Marine reef tanks use snails such as Nassarius, Cerith and turbo or turban snails mainly as algae and detritus cleaners. Their needs differ from freshwater snails, so research the species before you buy. Hermit crabs are crustaceans, not snails.
What Do Fish Tank Snails Eat?
Algae and Dying Plant Matter
Algae and biofilm are the main foods for most freshwater snails. They graze on glass, rocks, decorations and plant leaves. Most common snails do not eat healthy aquarium plants. When they chew a leaf, it is usually already dying or melting back. Large numbers of ramshorn snails can damage soft plants such as water sprite and cabomba.
Leftover Food and Decaying Matter
Snails clean up uneaten fish food, fish waste and dead plant material. This helps a tank, but a sudden snail boom means there is too much food or waste in the water. Cut back on feeding instead of trying to starve the snails.
Supplemental Foods
If your tank has little algae, add food. Good options include:
- Sinking algae wafers or snail pellets
- Blanched zucchini, cucumber, spinach or kale
- Canned green beans
- Sinking pellets or fish flakes that reach the bottom
Remove vegetables after a day or so, before they foul the water. Snails need calcium for their shells. Calcium-rich foods like blanched spinach and kale help. Pitted, thin or eroding shells usually point to soft or acidic water or low calcium. Feed small portions and take away what is left after a few hours.
Do Snails Eat Fish?
Common aquarium snails do not attack healthy, living fish. They will feed on a dead fish, which is one reason to remove bodies promptly. Some snails eat fish eggs, and mystery snails are rated a moderate to high threat to eggs in a breeding tank. The bigger danger to snails comes from fish such as pufferfish, certain loaches, and turtles, which eat them.
Care for Fish Tank Snails
Water Quality and Temperature
Snails need hard, alkaline water to build shells, and they do poorly in soft or acidic water. Typical figures for common species:
- Temperature: 70 to 78 °F (21 to 26 °C) for mystery snails. Nerites and trumpet snails tolerate a wider tropical range, and trumpet snails are reported from about 65 to 86 °F.
- pH: 7.0 or higher. Mystery snails want at least 7.2.
- Hardness: above about 8 dGH (150 ppm) for mystery snails.
Copper is toxic to snails, so check labels on fish medications, and avoid salt treatments with mystery snails. Test ammonia and nitrite along with pH and hardness.
Tank Size and Setup
Small snails are fine in small tanks. A nerite can live in a nano tank of 2 to 3 gallons, one or two mystery snails need at least 5 gallons, and trumpet snail guides generally suggest 10 gallons. Use a tight-fitting lid, since snails crawl toward the waterline and escape. Provide a filter, hiding places, and an easy-to-reach food source. Snails often live only 1 to 2 years.
Conclusion
Snails eat algae, biofilm, leftovers and decaying matter, and many will accept wafers and blanched vegetables. Keep the water hard enough for shells, keep copper out of the tank, and feed lightly. Choose species based on what you want them to do, and avoid assassin snails unless you want to reduce other snails.
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