Pomacea canaliculata

In the aquarium trade Pomacea canaliculata has been, and in some places still is, sold as mystery, apple, golden apple or inca.

 

P.canaliculata is actually a member of the ampullaridae or "apple" family. This includes P. canaliculata (channeled apple), P. diffusa (spike topped apple), P. maculata (island apple) and more, however these 3 are the more common varieties people are likely to own as pets. Depending on where you live these snails may have strict laws prohibiting owning, breeding or selling, this is especialy the case for the P. canaliculata and P. maculata as these eat live plants (and anything they can fit in their mouth). They can become extremely invasive if released into the wild. For example in New Zealand we are only allowed P. diffusa and P. canaliculata from the ampullaridae family and are not allowed to import any of them. P. cannaliculata can also survive lower temperatures than its cousin P. diffusa meaning it is able to survive in  the wild in cooler areas than the p. diffusa.

 

P. canaliculata's lifespan can range from 1 to 4 years depending on water parameters and care level and will eat live plants even when provided other foods.

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Identification​​

P. canaliculata (left) grow to around the size of a tennis ball and have a 90deg channel

between the whorls of their shell (see pic). they have a light foot and shell colors range from

pale yellow to dark brownish yellow. and often has darker striped in the direction of shell

growth.

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Tank Requirements

P. canaliculata require a tank size of at least 30L for one full grown snail if kept on its own. Each additional snail requires around 15L each on top of this.

When adding to a tank with fish, stocking numbers should be kept into consideration as they can be messy and produce a lot of waste. They should be kept with peaceful community fish as their antenna can easily be mistaken for food. Painted ornaments and gravel can be dangerous too as apple snails scrape the surface of things to eat the algae and if the paint chips or wears off they could end up eating it. They will also eat live plants and anything that fits in their mouth like smaller snails. They can 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.

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Temp: 15C (59f) to 28C (84f)

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

P. canaliculata will not survive on algae and detritus alone and they do not eat fish waste. They require a diet high in plant matter and calcium with added protein.

Many prepared fish foods are good especially vege wafers or pellets but they often do not contain enough calcium to sustain a healthy growing shell so calcium may need to be added.

P. canaliculata enjoy a diet consisting of veges, fruits and a range of prepared fish foods or a complete food like Snello.

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Anatomy

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Reproduction

It is believed by some people that apple snails are capable of self fertilisation but this has not been observed at a scientific level and if true would be likely be in extremely rare cases, it is more likely you were sold a mated female or even the just the wrong sex as unmated females can still lay infertile eggs. Adult females can store sperm and produce babies up to a year after mating this function is likely the reason people assume the are self fertile or able to change sex. They require space above the water line to lay eggs because if submerged the eggs will drown and they will only lay a clutch if the water conditions meet their requirements

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Pros & Cons

+ They help remove deceased, decomposing animals

+ Their slime feeds plants and other small organisms

+ Biodiversity in your aquarium

+ Community tank safe

+ Easy to care for

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- They can be messy if overfed

- They eat live plants

- Eggs can produce 100+ babies

- They require a LOT of calcium and hard water

- Their shells are bulky and can knock things over and uproot plants