1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful but slow.
158 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful but slow. Needs warm, hard, alkaline water and stable conditions.
Algae wafers, vegetables and calcium-rich foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Separate sexes, but males and females cannot be told apart by eye; buy a group of 5 or more to breed.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Live-bearing (one baby at a time) · Moderate
Live-bearing (ovoviviparous): the female broods embryos in a uterine brood pouch and releases one (sometimes up to three) large, fully shelled young at a time, each in a white egg capsule that dissolves almost at once. Breeds slowly in the aquarium if both sexes are present.
Keep 3-5 in a group and let them pair up.
40 L tank with hard alkaline water, rocks, wood and a sand base.
Stable warm water and regular feeding.
One large young at a time (LiveAquaria says 1-3), released in a white egg capsule; newborns can be almost 2 cm (0.8 in) long.
Baby snails look like adults and graze on biofilm; leave them in the tank.
A large Sulawesi rabbit snail with a long, pointed, ribbed shell of 9-10 whorls and a bright orange-yellow body, growing to about 7.5 cm. It lives only in the Malili lakes, where mining, logging and introduced flowerhorn cichlids threaten it.
The Sarasin cousins described this snail in 1897. It is one of the largest rabbit snails and its golden body and knobbed shell make it a showpiece for snail keepers.
First described by Paul & Fritz Sarasin in 1897. Named for 'Gemmifera' means bearing gems, after its knobbly shell.
17 facts checked with sources
Accepted name in MolluscaBase (AphiaID 738547), authority (P. Sarasin & F. Sarasin, 1897); original name Melania gemmifera. Freshwater snail (Caenogastropoda), not a fish. Common-name flag: the legacy name 'Giant gold rabbit snail' risks confusion: The Shrimp Farm says not to confuse T. gemmifera ('golden/orange rabbit snail') with 'the giant golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania sarasinorum, which is more yellowish in color'. Trade Tylomelania are often sold under uncertain names (Ng et al. 2016 found sympatric Tylomelania spp. 'failed to have diagnostic barcodes').
MolluscaBase via WoRMS REST record: Tylomelania gemmifera (AphiaID 738547) · Wikipedia: Tylomelania gemmifera (cites Sarasin & Sarasin 1897)Legacy had no family. Order is Caenogastropoda incertae sedis (Cerithioidea).
MolluscaBase via WoRMS REST record: Tylomelania gemmifera (AphiaID 738547) · Wikipedia: Tylomelania gemmifera (cites Sarasin & Sarasin 1897)Shell length (snails have no SL/TL). Hobby sources give a maximum of about 3 in (7.6 cm); the type shell described by Sarasin & Sarasin is 46.5 mm high. No source supports the legacy 10 cm (10 cm figures in the trade usually refer to T. sarasinorum or other 'giant' forms).
The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024) · LiveAquaria (retailer care sheet): Gold Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania gemmifera) · Wikipedia: Tylomelania gemmifera (cites Sarasin & Sarasin 1897)76-85 °F = 24.4-29.4 °C (The Shrimp Farm). LiveAquaria's 68-74 °F (20-23 °C) looks too cool for a tropical Sulawesi lake snail and conflicts with its own description; The Shrimp Farm preferred. Legacy 26-30 is slightly warm at the top.
The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024) · LiveAquaria (retailer care sheet): Gold Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania gemmifera)Legacy 7.5-8.5 lies inside The Shrimp Farm's 7-8.5. LiveAquaria lists 6.5-7.5, which contradicts the alkaline lake habitat.
The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024)No GH figure found. The Shrimp Farm gives TDS 50-150 ppm and notes Lake Matano has 'relatively low hardness'; LiveAquaria gives only carbonate hardness (dKH 2-15).
The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024) · LiveAquaria (retailer care sheet): Gold Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania gemmifera)10 US gal = 37.9 L, matching legacy 40 L for one snail (+ ~9.5 L per extra snail). LiveAquaria's 30 gal (114 L) is for its 3/6-packs.
The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024) · LiveAquaria (retailer care sheet): Gold Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania gemmifera)Can be kept singly; a group of 5+ is advised only if you want breeding (sexes look alike).
The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024)Hobby figure only; no scientific longevity data found.
The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024)Substrate-dwelling detritivore that likes sand.
The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024)Legacy care 2 (medium) matches LiveAquaria 'Moderate'; The Shrimp Farm rates it 'Easy'. Needs warm, alkaline, stable water.
LiveAquaria (retailer care sheet): Gold Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania gemmifera) · The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024)Legacy had no range. Wikipedia (from the 1897 description) gives one lake; The Shrimp Farm (citing von Rintelen's work) gives Matano, Mahalona and the Petea River. The Shrimp Farm also says it is listed as Endangered by the IUCN (not checked on the IUCN site).
Wikipedia: Tylomelania gemmifera (cites Sarasin & Sarasin 1897) · The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024)Peer-reviewed source: von Rintelen et al. 2014 (genus Tylomelania; see also von Rintelen & Glaubrecht 2005, Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 85: 513-542, not fetched: DOI page bot-blocked).
von Rintelen et al. 2014, A snail perspective on the biogeography of Sulawesi, PLoS ONE 9(6): e98917 (peer-reviewed) · The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024) · LiveAquaria (retailer care sheet): Gold Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania gemmifera)Legacy 'one baby at a time' is broadly right; the legacy interval 'every 1-2 months' was not found in any source and is dropped.
The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024) · LiveAquaria (retailer care sheet): Gold Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania gemmifera)Legacy '10 cm' corrected to ~7.5 cm (see adultSizeCm). The legacy name 'Giant gold rabbit snail' may mix this species up with T. sarasinorum.
The Shrimp Farm (hobby care guide): Golden rabbit snail, Tylomelania gemmifera (2024)