Pomacea diffusa

In the aquarium trade Pomacea diffusa has been given the wrong name time and time again. Originally classed as a sub species of Pomacea bridgesii, they were later reclassified as Pomacea diffusa, a distinct species by means of genetic analysis.  "Mystery Snail" is another incorrect name which originates from early in the aquarium trade when Japanese trap door snails (actual Mystery Snails) were popular and common in fish stores, this species of snail gets the name "Mystery" because they give birth to live young, making it a mystery to people where the babies were coming from when they were expecting eggs. When Pomacea diffusa was introduced into the aquarium trade they were either called "mystery" because A. the owner believed they were just a different type of trap door snail or B. they genuinely didn't know what the were, making them a "mystery snail"

 

P.diffusa is actually a member of the ampullaridae or "apple" family. This includes P. diffusa (spike topped apple), P. canaliculata (channeled 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 but this is more often the case for the P. canaliculata and P. maculata as these eat live plants (and anything they can fit in their mouth) and 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. diffusa's lifespan can range from 1 to 4 years depending on water parameters and care level. and will only eat dead or dyeing plants unless provided no other food.There are many colours available depending on the country you live in, the most common being brown and blue however other colours include purple, chestnut, ivory, magenta, gold and jade.

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Identification​

P. diffusa grow to around the size of a golf ball and do not have a channel between the

whorls of their shell (see pic). they can either have a light foot or dark foot and shell colors

include yellow, white, brown and purple. The combination of foot and shell color will

determine what snail colour you have. P. diffusa, unlike P. canaliculata also has freckles on

their body, black often has orange/red spots and white foot often has pale yellow spots

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Tank Requirements

P. diffusa require a tank size of at least 15L for one snail if kept on its own. Each additional snail requires around 10L 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 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: 20C (68f) to 28C (84f). 23C (74f) is perfect

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. diffusa 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. diffusa 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 decomposing plants and 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

- 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