Care Level: Easy

Temperament: Peaceful

Live Plant Safe: Yes

General Description: The Mystery Snail may be the most popular aquatic invertebrate among freshwater hobbyists. With a smooth shell that’s got a purple hue and stripes, the Purple Mystery Snail is your one stop shop for all your algae-controlling needs. Our Mystery snails are all captive bred or sourced locally from breeders right here in Wisconsin! A relatively undemanding and hardy species, Mystery snails on average grow to approximately 1.5″ but can reach 2″.

Diet Requirements: Mystery snails are herbivores, consuming various alga on the glass, decorations, and off of live plants. These snails are also opportunistic, consuming other foods that have made their way to the bottom of the aquarium. They will even clean up decaying or dead plant matter. If the aquarium appears sparse in such natural food resources, providing Mystery snails with ocassional high quality algae wafers is appreciated.

Care Requirements: An established minimum 10 gallon aquarium is ideal for a couple of Mystery snails. Size up accordingly to accomodate multiple individuals; more snails equates to more natural food resources needed to sustain them. Additionally, given that snails are constantly feeding they do produce a good amount of waste. In too small of aquariums, this bioload can become a problem. Mystery snails are very intolerable of nitrite or ammonia spikes. Weekly or biweekly water changes are encouraged to keep water parameters up to standard (Nitrates < 20 ppm), especially a stable pH that is necessary for appropriate shell growth and maintenance. Avoid the use of copper based medications as this will cause harm to, or even kill, your snail. Mystery snails tend to be active throughout most of the day – if your Mystery snail suddenly sits in a single spot for a few days, it is encouraged to check that your snail is still alive by pressing on its trapdoor. A live snail will have some resistance or close its trapdoor, while a dead snail will be easy to maneuver this trapdoor or it may even be slightly open. Rotting snails can result in a sudden ammonia spike, which may be more dramatic in smaller aquariums. In the proper environment, Mystery snails can breed without any intervention. Females will lay their eggs above the waterline in the aquarium; if having more snails is undesired, it is easy to remove these eggs before they hatch. Mystery snails are compatible with a range of community-type fish species. Avoid large cichlids, assassin snails or other carnivorous invertebrates such as crayfish that will make a snack out of your Mystery snail. Recommended water conditions, 72-82° F, KH 2-12, pH 7.5-8.5.

Purchase Size: Small: 1/2”; Medium: 3/4” to 1”; Large: 1-1/4” to 1-1/2”

Note: Your item may not look identical to the image provided due to variation within species. Purchase sizes are approximate.