Freshwater snails

[NicoNico]

Hey all! I am pretty new and looking to add some snails to my freshwater community tank but have no idea which ones to go with that would work with my water, I keep the tank right around 78F, and my PH stays right around 7. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[lefty o]

depends largely if you want snails that will reproduce, or not. many choices for ones that will reproduce, just about all of them. for ones that dont reproduce in fresh water, you would want nerite snails. down side to nerites is they tend to leave little white eggs wherever they travel.

[BettaHomesAndGardens]

Nerites are definitely my favorite. I like not having to worry about the potential for an outbreak although I also have Malaysian Trumpet Snails and haven't had an issue I just watch what I feed that tank. Pretty much any snail is worth it I would just advise that if you go with Rams Horn or Malaysian Trumpet be very conscious about your feedings. Mystery snails are really cool as well. I'm a big fan of snails as there are tons of benefits to having them.

[Chad]

Love snails too. Mystery snails are more active and engaging, nerites are more attractive (to me) and better algae cleaners. I prefer mystery snails over nerites for one huge (to me) reason. Those nerite eggs were welded onto decorations and glass. Brutal time removing them, in some cases I couldn't remove them completely. I do think they're very pretty. Just be ready for the tank to look like you spilled sesame seeds all over it.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I LOVE snails. I keep Nerites and Mystery Snails

In my experience: 

Nerites are better algae cleaners than any of them and don't reproduce. Yes as others have mentioned if you get a FEMALE Nerite (which you never know until, you know) they are the ones that lay and I've never had an issue with the eggs myself. They disappear over time and it's all tank glitter to me. The only ones I care to remove are on my viewing glass which are easily scraped off with a razor or other aquarium gadget as such. They do NOT take well to commercial foods so an established tank with plenty of algae is a must! Because of this I also don't recommend putting too many so they don't run out of food. They work well in tanks that have semi aggressive fish (like a betta) because they are pretty well protected by their shell, they've got tiny tentacles that most fish don't bother with. They come in a lot of colors and varieties- weirdly in my experience some seem to gravitate to certain areas of the tank. My Zebras like to patrol the glass more than anything. My Olive has been seen on glass and plants. My Horned since they are small are on EVERYTHING. The tank I have only 3 Horned Nerites and just a few bladders is totally clear of algae (and it's a 20 tall) they are smaller than a dime but always at work:

 

I love Mystery snails but I cannot agree they are great algae eaters. Sure they may eat a little (honestly I think most of it is their foot clearing the glass as they troll along if that) and they'll nom on left over food but you HAVE to have supplemental food for them that will have the minerals and calcium they need and feed them veggies as well in order to keep them healthy. You may even need to treat your water to assist, like adding a Wonder Shell.  It's not that Nerites don't needd good/similar parameters but though some of my Mystery snails in the past have had issues my Nerites seem to  have perfect shells. They are clowns and you'll not miss them in the tank because they get huge. They have great personalities. They can be an issue in tanks with fish that like worms because well, their long beautiful tentacles look like them- and they can be hurt and permanently damaged by these fish. 

Edited February 7, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX
Typos are lame

[EVoyager31]

I love snails! Nerites are cool and great at keeping algae under control… but mysteries are always my top pic! So many color options and they get big and beautiful! I have a magenta mystery I picked up from my LFS and he is gorgeous! I do get snail eggs a lot, but they lay them above the water line and can easily just scrape them off and get rid of them if I don’t want babies!