Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Japanese nerite snail
Peaceful.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Japanese nerite snail only grows to 2.5 cm.
- Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Japanese nerite snail only grows to 2.5 cm.
- Jack Dempsey eats animals up to about 8 cm. Japanese nerite snail only grows to 2.5 cm.
Care and water
Behavior
Peaceful.
Food
Algae and biofilm.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Separate sexes that look alike; females grow faster and live longer, and wild populations are female-biased.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Lays eggs in fresh water, but the larvae need brackish or sea water, so it won't multiply in your tank.
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →Where it lives in the wild
The story of the japanese nerite snail
A small olive-brown nerite from the rivers of Japan, Korea and Taiwan, with fine triangular markings and a spire often worn away with age. Adults reach about 2.5 cm. It is one of the most popular algae-eating snails in Japan and one of the longest-lived freshwater snails.
German zoologist Eduard von Martens described this small nerite in 1878. It is common in Japanese and Korean rivers and is often sold to aquarists as an algae grazer.
First described by Eduard von Martens in 1878.
- It lives where rivers meet the sea.
- Its eggs are laid in small capsules on hard surfaces.
- It is one of the most common nerites in Japan.
Sources
11 facts checked with sources
- Scientific namecorrected
Spelling correction only: MolluscaBase treats 'retropictus' as an incorrect gender ending; accepted form Clithon retropictum (E. von Martens, 1878), AphiaID 737538. Most literature (incl. all papers cited here) uses 'retropictus'. Brackish/freshwater snail; Japanese name イシマキガイ (ishimaki-gai).
MolluscaBase via WoRMS REST record: Clithon retropictus [sic] (AphiaID 737539) · MolluscaBase via WoRMS REST record: Clithon retropictum (AphiaID 737538) · Wikipedia: Clithon retropictum - Familycorrected
Legacy had no family.
MolluscaBase via WoRMS REST record: Clithon retropictum (AphiaID 737538) · Wikipedia: Clithon retropictum - Sizecorrected
Shell length: adults reach 25 mm (ja.wikipedia: 'adult shells reach 25 mm'). Snails mature at about 9 mm shell length at 1 year, so shop snails are often small; legacy 1.5 cm underestimates adult size.
Japanese Wikipedia: イシマキガイ (Clithon retropictus; cites Kobayashi & Iwasaki 2002 and Japanese field guides) · Miyajima & Wada 2014, Spatial distribution in relation to life history in Clithon retropictus, Kanzaki River Estuary, Plankton Benthos Res. 9(4): 207-216 (peer-reviewed, abstract) - Hardness
No figure found. ja.wikipedia notes the shell apex is eroded by calcium-poor river water (old adults often lose the spire).
Japanese Wikipedia: イシマキガイ (Clithon retropictus; cites Kobayashi & Iwasaki 2002 and Japanese field guides) - Lifespancorrected
Wild data: at least 3.3 years (Kanzaki River) and up to 20 annual growth lines (Takase River); English Wikipedia says 'up to 12 years'. Aquarium lifespan not documented; legacy 1-2 years is far too short.
Miyajima & Wada 2014, Spatial distribution in relation to life history in Clithon retropictus, Kanzaki River Estuary, Plankton Benthos Res. 9(4): 207-216 (peer-reviewed, abstract) · Shigemiya & Kato 2001, Age distribution, growth, and lifetime copulation frequency of Clithon retropictus, Popul. Ecol. 43: 133-140 (peer-reviewed, abstract) - Temperament
Herbivorous biofilm grazer; no source states temperament in aquarium terms.
Wikipedia: Clithon retropictum - Where it livescorrected
Legacy had no range ('from Japan' in story). ja.wikipedia: 'distributed in tropical and temperate western Pacific coasts; in Japan south of central Honshu'. English Wikipedia also lists Taiwan. Listed as endangered (grade II) in Korea and on 9 Japanese prefectural red lists.
Wikipedia: Clithon retropictum · Noseworthy et al. 2012, The occurrence of Clithon retropictus in Jeju Island, Korean J. Malacol. 28(2): 81-90 (peer-reviewed, abstract) · Japanese Wikipedia: イシマキガイ (Clithon retropictus; cites Kobayashi & Iwasaki 2002 and Japanese field guides) - Male or femalecorrected
ja.wikipedia: 'a snail with separate sexes'. No external sexing method reported; larger snails in a group are more likely female.
Japanese Wikipedia: イシマキガイ (Clithon retropictus; cites Kobayashi & Iwasaki 2002 and Japanese field guides) · Shigemiya & Kato 2001, Age distribution, growth, and lifetime copulation frequency of Clithon retropictus, Popul. Ecol. 43: 133-140 (peer-reviewed, abstract) - Breeding
Needs brackish/sea water for larvae. ja.wikipedia: 'because of its amphidromous life cycle, breeding in home aquaria is difficult'.
Shigemiya & Kato 2001, Age distribution, growth, and lifetime copulation frequency of Clithon retropictus, Popul. Ecol. 43: 133-140 (peer-reviewed, abstract) · Japanese Wikipedia: イシマキガイ (Clithon retropictus; cites Kobayashi & Iwasaki 2002 and Japanese field guides) - Eggs and youngcorrected
Translation of ja.wikipedia: 'lays flat dome-shaped yellowish-white egg capsules about 1-2 mm in diameter; each capsule contains a little over 100 eggs'.
Japanese Wikipedia: イシマキガイ (Clithon retropictus; cites Kobayashi & Iwasaki 2002 and Japanese field guides) · Miyajima & Wada 2014, Spatial distribution in relation to life history in Clithon retropictus, Kanzaki River Estuary, Plankton Benthos Res. 9(4): 207-216 (peer-reviewed, abstract) - Storycorrected
ja.wikipedia: 'upper shell covered with dull greenish-brown periostracum with rows of fine triangular markings'; 'widely used as an algae-removing tank mate'. Legacy 'tiny... for small tanks' corrected: adults reach 25 mm.
Japanese Wikipedia: イシマキガイ (Clithon retropictus; cites Kobayashi & Iwasaki 2002 and Japanese field guides) · Shigemiya & Kato 2001, Age distribution, growth, and lifetime copulation frequency of Clithon retropictus, Popul. Ecol. 43: 133-140 (peer-reviewed, abstract)