Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Zebra nerite snail
One of the best algae-eating snails. Its eggs don't hatch in fresh water, so it won't overrun your tank.
- Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Zebra nerite snail only grows to 2.5 cm.
- Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Zebra nerite snail only grows to 2.5 cm.
- Only a narrow pH range suits both: 7.2–7.5.
- They need different temperatures (22–26 °C vs 27–30 °C). No setting suits both.
- Their pH needs don't quite meet (7.2–8.2 vs 5–7). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
- Their pH needs don't quite meet (7.2–8.2 vs 5–7). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
- Their pH needs don't quite meet (7.2–8.2 vs 4.5–7). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
159 species in our list are a good match.
Care and water
Behavior
Peaceful grazer; can climb out, so use a lid.
Food
Algae, wafers, blanched vegetables.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Males and females are separate but look the same; they can't be sexed by eye.
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 zebra nerite snail
One of the best algae-eating snails. Its eggs will not hatch in freshwater, so it never overruns a tank.
Lovell Augustus Reeve described this snail in 1856. Its zebra-striped shell and appetite for algae made it a hit in planted tanks. It lays eggs in fresh water, but the larvae need brackish water to survive, so it does not overpopulate tanks.
First described by Lovell A. Reeve in 1856.
- Its eggs cannot develop in fresh water.
- It is one of the best algae-eating snails.
- Its bold black-and-gold stripes earned it the name zebra nerite.
Sources
14 facts checked with sources
- Scientific namecorrected
Current accepted name in MolluscaBase is Vittina natalensis (Reeve, 1855); Neritina natalensis is the original combination and is still widely used in the trade. MolluscaBase and the CoL/GBIF APIs could not be fetched directly (blocked), so this rests on Wikipedia's MolluscaBase citation plus two secondary pages. The authority year is given as 1845/1855/1856 in different places; MolluscaBase (as cited) uses 1855. No invertebrate primary source was fetched.
Wikipedia: Vittina natalensis (cites MolluscaBase/WoRMS AphiaID 1353177 and IUCN Red List 14628) [last-resort reference] · Pierre Wildlife species page: Vittina natalensis [naturalist reference] · Aquarium Glaser (exporter/importer, hobby reference): Vittina turrita and V. semiconica - Family
Wikipedia cites MolluscaBase for this.
Wikipedia: Vittina natalensis (cites MolluscaBase/WoRMS AphiaID 1353177 and IUCN Red List 14628) [last-resort reference] - Size
Shell size, not SL/TL.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics, established hobby reference): Zebra Nerite Snail, Neritina natalensis sp. zebra · Pierre Wildlife species page: Vittina natalensis [naturalist reference] - Temperaturecorrected
Species-specific source (Fishkeeper) gives 22-26 °C. Chewy's general nerite range 72-82 F = 22-28 °C matches the site, so the upper end is a source disagreement; species-specific value preferred.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics, established hobby reference): Zebra Nerite Snail, Neritina natalensis sp. zebra · Chewy Education (hobby reference, reviewed): Nerite Snail Care Guide (Hilary Jaffe; reviewed by Ivan Alfonso) - pHcorrected
Neither source goes as low as 7.0. Fishkeeper (species-specific) 7.2-8.2; Chewy (all nerites) 7.5-8.5. Small difference.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics, established hobby reference): Zebra Nerite Snail, Neritina natalensis sp. zebra · Chewy Education (hobby reference, reviewed): Nerite Snail Care Guide (Hilary Jaffe; reviewed by Ivan Alfonso) - Hardnesscorrected
Sources disagree. Fishkeeper (species-specific) gives 'dH 10-25' without saying general or total hardness; Chewy (all nerites) gives 6-12 dGH. Site 6-18 overlaps both but matches neither. Species-specific value used; the site may want to treat this as low-confidence.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics, established hobby reference): Zebra Nerite Snail, Neritina natalensis sp. zebra · Chewy Education (hobby reference, reviewed): Nerite Snail Care Guide (Hilary Jaffe; reviewed by Ivan Alfonso) - Smallest tank
5 US gal x 3.785 = 18.9 L, about 20 L.
Chewy Education (hobby reference, reviewed): Nerite Snail Care Guide (Hilary Jaffe; reviewed by Ivan Alfonso) - Group size
Source treats a single snail as a normal setup. Not a schooling animal.
Chewy Education (hobby reference, reviewed): Nerite Snail Care Guide (Hilary Jaffe; reviewed by Ivan Alfonso) - Lifespan
General nerite figure, not species-specific.
Chewy Education (hobby reference, reviewed): Nerite Snail Care Guide (Hilary Jaffe; reviewed by Ivan Alfonso) - TemperamentChewy Education (hobby reference, reviewed): Nerite Snail Care Guide (Hilary Jaffe; reviewed by Ivan Alfonso)
- Care levelChewy Education (hobby reference, reviewed): Nerite Snail Care Guide (Hilary Jaffe; reviewed by Ivan Alfonso)
- Where it lives
Wikipedia's range sentence cites the IUCN Red List assessment (Appleton et al. 2010), which could not be fetched (robots blocked). Country list from Fishkeeper: Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania.
Wikipedia: Vittina natalensis (cites MolluscaBase/WoRMS AphiaID 1353177 and IUCN Red List 14628) [last-resort reference] · Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics, established hobby reference): Zebra Nerite Snail, Neritina natalensis sp. zebra · Pierre Wildlife species page: Vittina natalensis [naturalist reference] - Male or female
Compared against legacy value (site has none). Fishkeeper adds that the male's organ can sometimes be seen beside the right eye during mating.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics, established hobby reference): Zebra Nerite Snail, Neritina natalensis sp. zebra · Aquarium Glaser (exporter/importer, hobby reference): Vittina turrita and V. semiconica - Breedingcorrected
Core claim (eggs laid on hard surfaces, no hatching/breeding in freshwater) is right. Correction: Fishkeeper (species-specific, SG about 1.024) and Aquarium Glaser say the larvae need full sea water, not just brackish; Chewy (all nerites) says brackish or salt. Adults themselves only tolerate lightly brackish water (Fishkeeper: SG 1.005-1.010).
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics, established hobby reference): Zebra Nerite Snail, Neritina natalensis sp. zebra · Chewy Education (hobby reference, reviewed): Nerite Snail Care Guide (Hilary Jaffe; reviewed by Ivan Alfonso) · Aquarium Glaser (exporter/importer, hobby reference): Vittina turrita and V. semiconica