Japanese trapdoor snail care
Heterogen japonica · Japan, Korea and Taiwan, in ponds, rice paddies and slow rivers
The Japanese trapdoor snail is a large brown pond snail with a round, ridged shell and a lid, the trapdoor, that it closes when disturbed.
- Tank size
- 10 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 60 to 80 °F (16 to 27 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2 in (shell height)
- pH
- 7 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 8 to 18 dGH
- Lifespan
- 3 to 5 years
- Diet
- Scavenger
- Care level
- Easy
In a 10 gallon
20¼ × 10½ × 12 9/16 in outsideHow to keep Japanese trapdoor snails
The Japanese trapdoor snail is a large brown pond snail with a round, ridged shell and a lid, the trapdoor, that it closes when disturbed. It grazes biofilm and detritus, leaves healthy plants alone and is happy in cool water, so it suits unheated tanks and garden ponds as well as tropical tanks of 10 gallons or more. It gives birth to a few live young at a time instead of laying eggs, so numbers grow slowly. Give it hard water and a calcium source for its shell.
Diet: Scavenger: biofilm, detritus, algae wafers, blanched vegetables; calcium for the shell. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Japanese trapdoor snail tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Silvertip tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Harlequin rasbora
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–81 °F
Zebra danio
2 in · 10+ gal · 64–77 °F
Cherry barb
2 in · 20+ gal · 73–81 °F
Honey gourami
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–82 °F
Forktail blue-eye rainbowfish
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–80 °F
Lemon tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Emperor tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 73–81 °F
Keep apart
Dwarf chain loach: Dwarf chain loaches eat snails.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Assassin snail: Assassin snails eat snails.
Dwarf orange crayfish: Dwarf orange crayfish eat snails.
Red-tail dwarf puffer: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Everglades pygmy sunfish: Everglades pygmy sunfish belong in a tank of their own.
What a Japanese trapdoor snail tank needs
A tank of 10 US gallons or more (such as the 10 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below. Japanese trapdoor snails are comfortable at room temperature, so a heater is optional in a normal home.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Small
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small fish. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
hygger AquaFall Aquarium Filter, S
Rated by the maker for 7–10 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon Japanese trapdoor snail tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 5–15 gal
Rated by the maker for 5–15 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon Japanese trapdoor snail tank without being built for a far bigger one.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding Japanese trapdoor snails.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, but its display reads 64 to 86 °F, so it can’t show the bottom of the 60 to 80 °F Japanese trapdoor snail range. Check it with a second thermometer that reads below 64 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 10 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common Japanese trapdoor snail problems
- Shell erosion in soft or acidic water; keep pH above 7 and add a calcium source.
- One lying still with its trapdoor shut is usually resting. A dead one smells strongly; remove it at once.
- They are invasive in the United States: never release them, and keep a pond's overflow from reaching streams.
- Copper in medications kills snails; check labels.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name and origin checked against Wikipedia: Heterogen japonica. Adult size, temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Japanese trapdoor snail Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Silvertip tetra Filtropat; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Harlequin rasbora NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra danio Roundish, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry barb Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Honey gourami Antoon Dommerholt (Dutch Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Forktail blue-eye rainbowfish Dirk Godlinski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Lemon tetra SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Emperor tetra 7TP (Krzysztof Bartosik), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf chain loach Stefan Maurer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Assassin snail Steffi Klee, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf orange crayfish HellSpawn754, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red-tail dwarf puffer Neale Monks (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Everglades pygmy sunfish Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ghost shrimp Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mystery snail Gabriel Resende Veiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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