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Encyclopedia / Snails / Bladder snail
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Photo by Igor Balashov, CC BY · source · credits

Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Bladder snail

Physella acuta · Pond snail, Physa

Breeds very fast when overfed.

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1.6 cmAdult size ✓
UnknownTemperature ?
UnknownpH ?
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Bladder snail only grows to 1.6 cm.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Bladder snail only grows to 1.6 cm.
Not recommended
  • Jack Dempsey eats animals up to about 8 cm. Bladder snail only grows to 1.6 cm.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ✓Can live alone
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ?Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ✓0.5–1.7 years
Size in shops 0.3–0.8 cm
Growth Very fast

Behavior

Breeds very fast when overfed.

Food

Leftovers.

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Male or female

Simultaneous hermaphrodite: every snail is both male and female and can lay eggs.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-layer (substrate spawner) · Easy

Hermaphrodite; mostly cross-fertilises but 10-30% of eggs can come from self-fertilisation. Populations can double in as little as 4 weeks.

Pairing

Buy 3-5. They are hermaphrodites.

Setup

A 10-20 L tank with plants.

What starts it

They breed in any warm tank.

Eggs

Lays about 50-100 eggs a week in gelatinous egg sacs; eggs hatch after 15-20 days.

Raising the fry

Young eat algae and food.

Common mistakes
  • Overfeeding
  • Using as pet snails only
  • Keeping with loaches
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionNorth America (native); now worldwide
Rivers and lakesRivers and ponds of North America
HabitatPonds, ditches and slow streams
Native rangeAbout 2,500 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the bladder snail

A common hitchhiker on aquarium plants; the aquarium and plant trade spread it worldwide, and one snail can start a population.

French naturalist Jacques Draparnaud described this snail in 1805 from France. Later genetic studies showed it is originally North American and was spread worldwide by people, partly through the aquarium plant trade. It often arrives unnoticed as eggs on new plants.

First described by Jacques P. R. Draparnaud in 1805.

  • Its shell coils to the left.
  • It can breed very quickly.
  • It is found on every continent except Antarctica.

Sources

11 facts checked with sources