Peaceful; good for ponds and unheated tanks.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
Peaceful; good for ponds and unheated tanks.
Algae, detritus.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Separate sexes; females are slightly larger than males.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Livebearer · Moderate
Livebearer: females brood eggs in a uterus and release shelled young (about 5.5 mm) during the warmer months.
Buy 5-8 snails. Females are larger.
A 40-80 L tank, cool water of 15-25 C and plants.
A cool season followed by warm water.
A female can carry up to 120 young.
Young eat algae and fine food. Slow growth.
A large pond snail with an operculum ('trapdoor') that seals the shell. Introduced to the USA in the 1890s via Asian food markets and now invasive and widespread there.
German zoologist Eduard von Martens described this snail in 1861, originally in the genus Paludina. It closes its shell with a hard lid called an operculum, giving it the 'trapdoor' name. Hardy in cold water, it is popular in ponds and has been introduced to North America.
First described by Eduard von Martens in 1861.
12 facts checked with sources
Invertebrate: freshwater viviparid snail. Name is unsettled: UNL uses Cipangopaludina japonica (alt. Heterogen japonica); Pennsylvania Sea Grant and Smithsonian NEMESIS use Heterogen japonica. Important: legacy aka lists 'chinese mystery snail', which is a different species (Cipangopaludina chinensis); NEMESIS says the two are often confused and PSU says they may only be distinguishable genetically. Snails sold as 'trapdoor snails' in the pond trade may be either.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit: Japanese (black) mystery snail · Pennsylvania Sea Grant: Mystery Snails AIS fact sheetNew value.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit: Japanese (black) mystery snailShell length. PSU gives up to 6.5 cm.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit: Japanese (black) mystery snail · Pennsylvania Sea Grant: Mystery Snails AIS fact sheetOnly habitat temperatures found, not a keeping range. Cold tolerance (overwinters in ponds) is widely reported but not confirmed with numbers here.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit: Japanese (black) mystery snailNEMESIS figure is for the related Chinese mystery snail (C. chinensis), not this species, so not used.
Smithsonian NEMESIS: Cipangopaludina chinensis (Chinese mystery snail)UNL 3-5 years; PSU up to 8 years for females. Legacy '5+' fits the upper end.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit: Japanese (black) mystery snail · Pennsylvania Sea Grant: Mystery Snails AIS fact sheetBottom-living on mud in the wild; no aquarium zone stated.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit: Japanese (black) mystery snailNew value.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant: Mystery Snails AIS fact sheet · University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit: Japanese (black) mystery snailThe curled right tentacle of males (a modified tentacle used in mating, typical of viviparids) was not confirmed in a fetched source for this species, so only the size difference is recorded.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit: Japanese (black) mystery snailLegacy 10-30 is far below the sourced maximum (per-brood numbers not given for this species).
Pennsylvania Sea Grant: Mystery Snails AIS fact sheetSpread is linked to the aquarium, pond and live-food trades (PSU).
Pennsylvania Sea Grant: Mystery Snails AIS fact sheet · University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit: Japanese (black) mystery snail