Great Pond Snail

The great pond snail is a large snail common in the lakes, ponds and marshes of the Northern Hemisphere. Its thin, light brown shell ends in a wide body whorl and a long, pointed spire; its flat, triangular tentacles make it easy to identify. It breathes with a lung and frequently comes to the surface. It is a natural cleaner in garden ponds, but most hobbyists do not want it in the aquarium because it eats live plants. It is a hermaphrodite; even a single individual can reproduce with gelatinous egg clusters.

• 40 liters or more for a few individuals; an unheated aquarium or a garden pond is ideal.
• 12–20°C is ideal; keeping it at tropical temperatures for long periods shortens its lifespan.
• pH 7 or higher, moderately hard to hard water; calcium for the shell.
• Avoid products containing copper.

Omnivorous with a big appetite. It eats soft plants, algae, dead plant matter, leftover food and carrion. It can be fed lettuce, spinach and sinking tablets; plenty of vegetables reduces plant damage but does not prevent it completely.

Peaceful toward fish. It eats plants and quickly heads for leftover food and carrion.

Good companions: goldfish and other coldwater fish, pond animals.

Avoid: planted aquariums, snail-eating fish, tropical aquariums.