Rabbit Snail
Tylomelania gemmifera
Pachychilidae
InvertsDifficulty: ●●●○○Data: verified
About
The rabbit snail is a large, elongated freshwater snail endemic to the ancient lakes of Sulawesi, Indonesia, named for its wrinkled, droop-nosed face that recalls a rabbit. It carries a long conical shell over a brightly coloured body and moves slowly across sand and wood, grazing detritus and biofilm. Unlike common pest snails it is a viviparous, exceptionally slow breeder, giving birth to a single large, fully-formed juvenile at a time, so it will never overrun a tank.
Care
Keep in a mature, warm tank (26-28 C) with hard, alkaline water and a soft sand bed to burrow in. Needs calcium for shell health and is highly sensitive to copper. Plant-safe with most species, though it may nibble very soft plants and Java fern.
Diet
Detritivore and grazer feeding on biofilm, soft algae and decaying plant matter. Offer sinking algae wafers, catfish pellets and blanched vegetables, with a calcium source for the shell.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (10)
Possible with care (198)
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Avoid (63)
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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 Rabbit Snail need?
- A Rabbit Snail needs an aquarium of at least 75 litres (19.8 US gallons) with a footprint at least 60 cm (23.6 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Rabbit Snail need?
- Rabbit Snail does best at 22–30 °C (71.6–86 °F), pH 7–8.5 and a general hardness of 4–15 °dGH.
- Is the Rabbit Snail suitable for beginners?
- Rabbit Snail sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.
Sources
Water & tank
Temperature22–30°C
Optimal temp.26–28°C
pH7–8.5
Hardness (GH)4–15°d
Carbonate (KH)2–10°d
Adult size8 cm
Min. volume≥ 75 L
Min. tank length≥ 60 cm
Swimming zoneBottom
TemperamentPeaceful
Water typeFreshwater
FlowLow
Lifespan~3 yrs
Try in the calculator