About the species

Elephant Snail Yellow is a Sulawesi snail with a glowing yellow body against an almost black, heavily sculptured shell. The contrast between the yellow body and the dark shell is what makes the species so popular. The wrinkled, trunk-like snout gave the whole group its Swedish name.

Facts

• Latin name: Tylomelania sp. "Yellow"
• Common name: Elephant Snail Yellow
• Size: 4–8 cm
• Lifespan: Up to 5 years

Behavior

Elephant Snail Yellow is a slow, peaceful snail from Sulawesi, named in Swedish after its wrinkled, trunk-like snout. It is most active at dusk and suits shrimp and peaceful warm-water fish. Important: it cannot crawl backwards or turn around in a tight gap, so avoid narrow crevices in the hardscape.

Reproduction

• The species is livebearing with separate sexes — keep several individuals
• The female releases one single large juvenile at a time, roughly every 1–3 months
• Reproduction is so slow that the species can never become a plague

Feeding

Elephant Snail Yellow is an omnivore leaning towards plant material and feeds on:

• Biofilm and aufwuchs
• Decaying plant material and leaves
• Leftover food and detritus

Feed regularly — well-fed animals bother the plants less:

• Sinking food tablets for snails
• Blanched courgette, spinach or carrot
• Catappa leaves and a mineral supplement for the shell

Aquarium

• Minimum aquarium size: 54 litres
• Substrate: Sand or fine rounded gravel

Difficulty level

🟡 Moderate

Recommendation

Note that the yellow sorting in particular has a radula strong enough to cut healthy plant tissue, so it may graze soft-leaved species such as Vallisneria. Feed it well and plant damage drops noticeably. If you want a plant-safe rabbit snail we recommend the yellow-spotted sorting instead.