Ramshorn Snail (Planorbella duryi)
The Ramshorn Snail is a peaceful little snail that usually minds their own business. Sometimes you may see them swimming with their belly up on the surface of the water. Some people believe that these snails produce tiny threads that allow them to swing across areas in the tank like a spiders thread.
These snails are useful as they break down uneaten food and fish waste into a more bioavailable form for your filters bacteria which will help your tank run smoother and they consume algae.
The colour of their shells varies from translucent through several shades of brown to a dark almost black colour. The dark colour appears to arise from dietary materials not generally available in the home aquarium, although many species from ponds are this dark shade.
There are two standard skin colours which are black and red. The red colouration comes from their blood, unlike other snails with green blood. An absence of melanin exposes the red colour.
Some rare varieties have been selectively bred, and these are blue and pale pink. These traits are recessive, and if crossbred, the resultant offspring are likely to be the wild type which is brown.
Snails of this family are spiralled, with the opening hole slanted downwards towards the right, and large folds of skin may protrude out of the more open left side.
Like all air-breathing water snails, the animal has only one pair of tentacles with the eyes at the base of the tentacles and no operculum.
Ramshorn snails are amphipneustic creatures, adapted to life in polluted waters with low content of oxygen in the water. The snail can breathe both with oxygen dissolved in the water and with atmospheric air using its particular pulmonary cavity.
Photos
| Quick Facts | |
| Scientific Name | Planorbella duryi |
| Classification | Gastropoda |
| Order | Hygrophila |
| Family | Planorbidae |
| Genus | Helisoma |
| Origins | USA |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Aquarium Level | All Levels |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Shoaling | No |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Reproduction | Egg-Layer |
| Lifespan | 1 – 2 years |
| Water Parameters | |
| Water Type | Freshwater |
| PH | 7.0 – 8.0 |
| GH | 7 – 15 |
| KH | 5 – 15 |
| TDS | 150 – 300 |
| Temperature |
| 70 – 78℉
21.1 – 25.6℃ |
Feeding
Usually, the algae in your tank is enough to keep a few ramshorn snails alive without the need for additional food. However, you should provide Ramshorn Snails with a balanced diet of debris, aquarium algae, vegetables, and commercial supplements.
Doing this will help the snails grow quickly and steadily. Also, if Calcium levels are sufficient, a Ramshorn Snails will grow healthy and have thick, crack-free shells.
Sexual Dimorphism
Because Ramshorn Snails are hermaphrodites, it is impossible to sex these species.