About the species

The brown ramshorn snail is the wild type, with a brown shell and brown body. Young animals have a clearly mottled mantle giving a nicely speckled look. It is a classic and very hardy cleaner snail that grazes leftover food, dead plant parts and films before they can foul the water.

Facts

• Latin name: Planorbella duryi
• Common name: Ramshorn Snail Brown
• Size: 1–2 cm
• Lifespan: 1–3 years

Behavior

Ramshorn Snail Brown is a peaceful, easy-care cleaner that grazes leftover food, dead plant parts and films before they can foul the water. It is a lung breather and needs access to the surface. It suits dwarf shrimp and peaceful fish, but avoid snail-eating fish, crayfish and assassin snails.

Reproduction

• The species is hermaphroditic and a single snail can found a population
• Eggs are laid in flat, transparent jelly pads of 10–15 eggs that hatch after 10–12 days
• Numbers are governed by the food supply — a population boom always means overfeeding, not too many snails

Feeding

Ramshorn Snail Brown is an omnivorous cleaner and feeds on:

• Leftover food and spilled feed
• Dead plant parts and leaves
• Biofilm and surface films

Extra food is rarely needed, but is appreciated:

• Blanched courgette or spinach
• Catappa leaves
• A calcium source for the shell

Aquarium

• Minimum aquarium size: 20 litres
• Substrate: Any — gravel or sand both work

Difficulty level

🟢 Easy

Recommendation

The wild type is the hardiest and most adaptable ramshorn and a good first choice if you want help with the cleanup. It works from about 20 litres and does well alongside dwarf shrimp, provided the shrimp get enough protein.