Colombian Ramshorn Snail
Marisa cornuarietis
Ampullariidae
About
The Colombian ramshorn is a large, flat-coiled apple-snail relative from the Caribbean, Central and northern South America, reaching around 5.5 cm across — far bigger than the common ramshorn it resembles. It is completely peaceful toward tankmates but an enthusiastic, herbivore-leaning omnivore that will mow down most soft aquarium vegetation and will also eat other snails' eggs and young, so it belongs in unplanted or tough-plant setups rather than aquascapes. Unlike common ramshorns it has separate sexes and lays gelatinous egg clutches on hard surfaces, and it needs hard, alkaline, calcium-rich water to build and maintain its heavy shell.
Care
Keep in hard, alkaline, calcium-rich water at 22-28 C with a secure lid. Peaceful but a serious plant grazer and opportunistic omnivore — house without prized plants and supplement with vegetables and algae wafers. Highly sensitive to copper.
Diet
Herbivore-leaning omnivore that devours living and decaying plants, algae and detritus, and will also scavenge dead animals and eat other snails' eggs and young. Feed blanched vegetables and algae wafers, and expect soft plants to be eaten; only tough species like anubias and java fern tend to survive.
Tankmate compatibility
Possible with care (207)
Avoid (64)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
There is no reliable way to sex this species by eye. That is the honest answer, not a gap in our data.
All the methods, with diagramsAlso in these lists
Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Colombian Ramshorn Snail need?
- A Colombian Ramshorn Snail needs an aquarium of at least 40 litres (10.6 US gallons) with a footprint at least 40 cm (15.7 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Colombian Ramshorn Snail need?
- Colombian Ramshorn Snail does best at 22–28 °C (71.6–82.4 °F), pH 7–8.5 and a general hardness of 8–25 °dGH.
- Is the Colombian Ramshorn Snail suitable for beginners?
- Yes — Colombian Ramshorn Snail is one of the easier species to keep and forgives typical first-tank mistakes, as long as the aquarium is cycled and maintained.