Racing Snails

Who ever thought “Red Racer” was going to be a reasonable name for an aquarium snail? I mean, how fast could it be? Turns out, not very fast but definitely a little faster than average for a snail. In addition, once they get a little older, they will sport a pretty snazzy racing stripe down the middle and as we all know, racing stripes make everything faster.

Slow or not, Red Racer Nerites have a singular purpose and that is algae / biofilm removal, which they are excellent at. They are perfect additions to aquariums where less glass cleaning is desired; they thrive in aquariums where some biofilm is left for them to graze on. Utilizing decorations like rocks and driftwood that don't get cleaned or perhaps not cleaning the algae off a give wall of the display tank is an excellent way to get them the food they need. This feeding benefit / requirement means you should be somewhat careful about over stocking Red Racers, especially in aquariums where other effective algae eaters live. We recommend around 3 per 10 gallons of display.

Care wise, Red Racer snails are just as easy as any other snail once their food needs are met; like most other snails, they prefer a slightly alkaline environment. Nerites have a pretty long lifespan in perfect conditions. We have heard of snails living more than 4 years in aquariums and nearing this age they will be almost one inch in diameter! This lifespan may be shorter in aquariums with lower pH and less available calcium. They are very peaceful, and won't be a problem for anything you house them with including plants. Though like any snail, they can become a prey item for fish that have a penchant for eating them. They do need a tropical temperature, just like everything else in your aquarium.

Now you're thinking, “this sounds amazing! I want to breed them!” We hope you do. This process has only recently been done in captive aquaria and may be a bit daunting for new aquarists but is doable none the less. Like all Nerite snails, they only breed in brackish or full marine saltwater, and so a dedicated rearing tank will be needed. A 20 gallon breeder tank with a sponge filter and full salinity saltwater (1.055 or so) will do nicely. Because there is no visual cue for the difference between male and female sails (they are not sexually dimorphic) and they also don't change sex (not hermaphroditic) so you'll need to add a group of 10 or so snails to ensure you have a mix of sexes. After that, it's mostly a waiting game. Egg capsules (each containing dozens of eggs) will get laid on just about anything, driftwood, leaves, mollusks, substrate, even other snails. They then take about 3 days to hatch into larvae, and will settle into tiny snails in about a week more. Then it's just a matter of making sure they have enough food to grow up, and you can acclimate them back to freshwater!

Nerite snails as a family are among the best snails for captive aquaria, both for freshwater and for saltwater. In freshwater, the Red Racer Nerite is an excellent choice. If breeding them is outside of your comfort zone, don't be dissuaded, we here at Aquatropic have an excellent supply for your Local Fish Store to get for you. Just call them up and ask about invertebrates from Aquatropic today!