Rabbit snail care
Tylomelania species · Lakes of Sulawesi, Indonesia (Lake Poso and the Malili lakes)
Rabbit snails are slow, long-shelled snails from the lakes of Sulawesi with a rabbit-like face and drooping "ears".
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 76 to 84 °F (24 to 29 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 3 in
- pH
- 7.3 to 8.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 6 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 1 to 3 years
- Diet
- Grazer
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep rabbit snails
Rabbit snails are slow, long-shelled snails from the lakes of Sulawesi with a rabbit-like face and drooping "ears". Keep them in a 20 gallon or larger tank with warm, alkaline water (pH 7.3 to 8.5) at 76 to 84 °F and soft sand; they breed slowly, one large baby at a time, so they never overrun a tank.
Diet: Grazer: algae, biofilm, vegetables and sinking pellets. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Rabbit 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.
Tiger barb
3 in · 29+ gal · 74–80 °F
Black skirt tetra
3 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Buenos Aires tetra
3 in · 29+ gal · 64–82 °F
Celebes rainbowfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 68–82 °F
GloFish tetra
3 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Indian glassfish
3.1 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Guppy
2.8 in · 10+ gal · 72–82 °F
Red eye tetra
2.8 in · 29+ gal · 73–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: rabbit snails need 76 to 84 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Dwarf chain loach: Dwarf chain loaches eat snails.
Reticulated hillstream loach: No shared temperature: rabbit snails need 76 to 84 °F, reticulated hillstream loaches 68 to 75 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Amazon puffer: Amazon puffers eat snails.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: rabbit snails need 76 to 84 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
What a rabbit snail tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon rabbit snail tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon rabbit snail tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Rabbit snails need 76 to 84 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding rabbit 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 76 to 84 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 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 rabbit snail problems
- Soft, acid water dissolves their shells; keep the pH above about 7.3.
- Puffers and snail-eating loaches eat them.
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: Tylomelania species. 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.
- Tiger barb Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black skirt tetra emptyvi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Buenos Aires tetra Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Celebes rainbowfish Brent Tibbatts, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- GloFish tetra Bobby823Sk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Indian glassfish opencage, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Guppy Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red eye tetra Jhartshorn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf chain loach Stefan Maurer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reticulated hillstream loach Spiketooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 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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