Malaysian trumpet snail care
Melanoides tuberculata · Africa and South Asia
Malaysian trumpet snails burrow through sand by day, turning it over and stopping it going stale.
- Tank size
- 5 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 64 to 86 °F (18 to 30 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 1.2 in
- pH
- 7 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 8 to 18 dGH
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 years
- Diet
- Scavenger
- Care level
- Easy
In a 5 gallon: Aqueon 5½
16 3/16 × 8⅜ × 10½ in outsideHow to keep Malaysian trumpet snails
Malaysian trumpet snails burrow through sand by day, turning it over and stopping it going stale. They breed without a partner and multiply on leftover food.
Diet: Scavenger: leftovers and detritus in the substrate. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Malaysian trumpet 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.
Ember tetra
1.2 in · 10+ gal · 73–84 °F
Lambchop rasbora
1.2 in · 10+ gal · 73–82 °F
Least killifish
1.2 in · 5+ gal · 64–80 °F
DrawingRed neon blue-eye
1.2 in · 10+ gal · 74–82 °F
Rosy tetra
1.3 in · 15+ gal · 75–82 °F
Red phantom tetra
1.3 in · 15+ gal · 68–77 °F
Kerri tetra
1.1 in · 20+ gal · 75–81 °F
Dwarf pencilfish
1.4 in · 10+ gal · 75–82 °F
Keep apart
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.
Everglades pygmy sunfish: Everglades pygmy sunfish belong in a tank of their own.
Oscar: Oscars are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as Malaysian trumpet snails.
Clown loach: Clown loaches eat snails.
What a Malaysian trumpet snail tank needs
A tank of 5 US gallons or more (such as the 5 gallon: Aqueon 5½) with a cover, and the equipment below. Malaysian trumpet 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, Nano
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.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter up to 5 gal
Rated by the maker for up to 5 US gal, which covers a 5 gallon Malaysian trumpet snail tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Hang-on-back Canister Filter 5W
Rated by the maker for up to 10 US gal, which covers a 5 gallon Malaysian trumpet 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 Malaysian trumpet 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, so you know it stays within 64 to 86 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 5 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 Malaysian trumpet snail problems
- Very hard to remove once established; feed lightly to keep numbers down.
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, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Melanoides tuberculata. 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.
- Malaysian trumpet snail Buchling, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Lambchop rasbora AverageWalrus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Least killifish Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rosy tetra Aquakeeper14, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red phantom tetra Tsunamicarlos (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kerri tetra Juan R. Lascorz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf pencilfish Fanch from Paris, France, CC BY 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
- Everglades pygmy sunfish Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Oscar H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Clown loach Vlad Butsky, 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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