Planorbella duryi

Rams Horns often get a bad reputation as pests, however, when properly cared for they can be awesome little pets and can be a great indicator if you are overfeeding your tank as they will reproduce rapidly. They also don't have a defensive operculum, trap door that seals the shell closed like apple snails, leaving them unprotected. They have an expected lifespan is around 1 year depending on water conditions and care level. In New Zealand we only have the red but in other countries there are several different colors including pink, blue & orange and also spotted shells called "leopard".

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Identification​
They appear to have bright red shells (that can get up to 1.5cm) but the shell is actually clear and

what you are looking at is a pigment-less variety. Like humans, Ramshorn Snails have red,

hemoglobin-enriched blood, which shows through the skin and shell giving them their colour. 

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Tank Requirements

Rams Horns require a tank size of at least 10L for a small group. They can be kept with almost any friendly community fish but are not suited to nippy fish because of their delicate antenna.

When adding to a tank with fish, stocking numbers should be kept into consideration as they can be messy and produce a fair amount of waste. They should be kept with peaceful community fish as their antenna can easily be mistaken for food. They can also be sensitive to fish medications and salt and copper is toxic to them.

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Water Parameters

Always make sure your aquarium is cycled before adding any aquatic life and keep in mind adding too many at once could overload the cycle.

 

Temp: 21C (70f) to 26C (78f)

PH: 7 - 8

KH or Hardness: 12 - 18

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Calcium can be added to water to benefit shell health.

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Diet & Supplements

Rams horns will consume algae, microbial biofilms and detritus, but to keep them healthy their diet should include added plant matter, calcium and protein.

Many prepared fish foods are good including vege wafers/pellets but they often do not contain enough calcium to sustain healthy growing shells in large groups, so it will most likely need to be added. One way to do this is to feed vegetables high in calcium.

They enjoy left over fish food, algae wafers or pellets and vegetables or a complete food like Snello.

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Anatomy

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Reproduction

Ramshorn snails are capable of self fertilisation meaning they are able to reproduce without a partner and they can do so in great numbers. They lay eggs below the water line in clusters on any and all surfaces 

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Pros & Cons

+ Good at removing decomposing plants and animals

+ Biodiversity in your aquarium

+ Suitable for most aquariums

+ Easy to care for

+ Will not eat most live plants

+ Adds color to your aquarium

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- Multiply rapidly if overfed

- Difficult to completely eradiate

- They can sometimes die after being added to tanks

- Will sometimes eat soft leaf plants

- They can produce young with or without a partner

- Only red available in NZ