Variations
9 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Mystery snail
Peaceful scavenger.
- Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Mystery snail only grows to 5 cm.
- Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Mystery snail only grows to 5 cm.
- Jack Dempsey eats animals up to about 8 cm. Mystery snail only grows to 5 cm.
- Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
- Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
360 species in our list are a good match.
Care and water
Behavior
Peaceful scavenger.
Food
Leftovers, algae, vegetables, calcium.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Sexes are separate. Hold the snail upside down until it starts to come out and look into the right side of the mantle cavity: males have a large penis sheath in front of the gills; females have none.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-layer (substrate spawner) · Easy
Females lay clutches of small pale pink eggs above the waterline (needs a lid and an air gap); young hatch after 2-3 weeks and drop into the water.
Buy 4-6 snails. Both sexes exist; keep a group.
A 40-80 L tank with a tight lid and a gap above the water. Hard, warm water of 22-26 C.
Warm water and good food. Eggs are laid above the waterline.
Clutches average 200-600 eggs; they hatch after about 2-3 weeks (faster when warm).
Young eat algae and soft veg. Mist the clutch if it is dry.
- Leaving too little air space
- Soft water
- Keeping with fish that nip
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the mystery snail
A South American apple snail sold as the 'mystery snail' in many bred colours; it breathes air at the surface and lays pink egg clutches above the waterline. Long sold under the wrong name P. bridgesii.
Pomacea diffusa was described by Blume in 1957 from the Amazon basin. For years aquarists sold it under the name P. bridgesii, a related species. It breathes air through a long siphon and lays pink egg clutches above the waterline.
First described by Blume in 1957.
- It lays its egg clusters above the waterline.
- It breathes with a snorkel-like siphon.
- Gold, blue, ivory and purple colour forms are bred for aquariums.
Sources
15 facts checked with sources
- Scientific name
Invertebrate (freshwater apple snail, gastropod). Pomacea diffusa Blume, 1957; originally a subspecies of P. bridgesii, now a separate species (Rawlings et al. 2007). TRADE WARNING: mystery snails are still often labelled 'Pomacea bridgesii', but true P. bridgesii is a larger species known only from a small area of Bolivia; the aquarium mystery snail is P. diffusa (Dillon, applesnail.net).
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Ecological Risk Screening Summary, Spike-topped Applesnail (Pomacea diffusa) (quotes Rawlings et al. 2007, Mackie & Claudi 2010, Queensland Museum) - Familycorrected
Legacy has no family; recorded as sourced.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Ecological Risk Screening Summary, Spike-topped Applesnail (Pomacea diffusa) (quotes Rawlings et al. 2007, Mackie & Claudi 2010, Queensland Museum) - Size
Shell height, not SL/TL. Wild-type shells 45-65 mm high; Dillon notes cultured snails mature at 2 cm and rarely exceed 4 cm. Legacy 5 cm is within range.
Applesnail.net (Stijn Ghesquiere; long-running apple snail reference): Pomacea diffusa species page · U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Ecological Risk Screening Summary, Spike-topped Applesnail (Pomacea diffusa) (quotes Rawlings et al. 2007, Mackie & Claudi 2010, Queensland Museum) · FWGNA / Dr Rob Dillon (College of Charleston): Mystery Snail Citizen Genetics Project, study organism - Temperature
Genus-level apple snail guidance; legacy 20-28 lies within it. FWS notes P. diffusa is less cold-tolerant than the Florida applesnail. Warm water shortens life (see lifespan).
Applesnail.net: general apple snail care guide (genus-level, not species-specific) - pH
Genus-level guidance; protects the shell.
Applesnail.net: general apple snail care guide (genus-level, not species-specific) - Hardness
Only qualitative ('hard, calcium rich water'); no dGH numbers found.
Applesnail.net: general apple snail care guide (genus-level, not species-specific) - Smallest tank
No species-specific minimum tank found. The general rule of about 10 L per snail doesn't confirm a 40 L minimum. Tank needs a lid and an air gap above the water.
Applesnail.net: general apple snail care guide (genus-level, not species-specific) - Lifespancorrected
About 2 years at 25 °C or above, 3+ years at 20-21 °C (Mackie & Claudi 2010 via FWS). Legacy 1-2 years is too short; cooler water extends life.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Ecological Risk Screening Summary, Spike-topped Applesnail (Pomacea diffusa) (quotes Rawlings et al. 2007, Mackie & Claudi 2010, Queensland Museum) - Temperament
No source uses a temperament word; they are harmless scavengers and safe in planted tanks (applesnail.net, Dillon), but this is not quote-checked as 'peaceful'.
Applesnail.net (Stijn Ghesquiere; long-running apple snail reference): Pomacea diffusa species page - Care levelFWGNA / Dr Rob Dillon (College of Charleston): Mystery Snail Citizen Genetics Project, study organism
- Where it livescorrected
Legacy has no range; recorded as sourced. FWS lists no documented invasiveness and rates the overall risk 'uncertain'; it is the only apple snail allowed in US interstate transport. Other Pomacea (e.g. P. canaliculata, P. maculata) are serious pests and banned in the EU, so legal text should name the species.
Applesnail.net (Stijn Ghesquiere; long-running apple snail reference): Pomacea diffusa species page · U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Ecological Risk Screening Summary, Spike-topped Applesnail (Pomacea diffusa) (quotes Rawlings et al. 2007, Mackie & Claudi 2010, Queensland Museum) · Wikipedia: Pomacea diffusa (cites Rawlings et al. 2007, BMC Evol. Biol. 7: 97) - Male or female
General apple snail method, applies to P. diffusa (FWS: 'The spiketop applesnail is dioecious').
Applesnail.net: apple snail reproductive system - Breeding
Wikipedia (citing Rawlings et al.) says eggs are white when freshly laid.
Applesnail.net (Stijn Ghesquiere; long-running apple snail reference): Pomacea diffusa species page · U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Ecological Risk Screening Summary, Spike-topped Applesnail (Pomacea diffusa) (quotes Rawlings et al. 2007, Mackie & Claudi 2010, Queensland Museum) - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy 50-200 is lower than the sourced average of 200-600. Hatch time 2-3 weeks (species) or 2-4 weeks (applesnail.net general) matches the legacy 2-4 weeks.
Applesnail.net (Stijn Ghesquiere; long-running apple snail reference): Pomacea diffusa species page · U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Ecological Risk Screening Summary, Spike-topped Applesnail (Pomacea diffusa) (quotes Rawlings et al. 2007, Mackie & Claudi 2010, Queensland Museum) - Story
Egg and colour claims supported. Air-breathing via siphon is standard apple snail biology but not quote-checked here.
Applesnail.net (Stijn Ghesquiere; long-running apple snail reference): Pomacea diffusa species page · Wikipedia: Pomacea diffusa (cites Rawlings et al. 2007, BMC Evol. Biol. 7: 97)