Care guide
Overview
The Spike-topped Apple Snail (Pomacea diffusa) is large, colourful, peaceful, and surprisingly active and personable for a snail. It is the legal, hobby-safe apple snail of the US trade — not to be confused with the federally restricted channeled apple snail. One of the easiest and most rewarding invertebrates we sell.
Natural Habitat
Native to the slow, warm freshwaters of the Amazon basin, where these amphibious snails graze detritus and biofilm and surface regularly to breathe air through a siphon.
Tank Setup
Happy in almost any community tank of 10 gallons (~40 L) or more, over sand, gravel, or bare bottom. Two things matter most: a tight-fitting lid, and a few inches of air space above the waterline. Apple snails breathe air and need surface access, and they will climb out of an open tank overnight.
Diet
An omnivorous detritivore that grazes algae, biofilm, leftover food, and decaying plant matter. In a sparse tank, supplement two or three times a week with calcium-rich foods — blanched zucchini, spinach, kale, green beans, and algae wafers. A floating cuttlebone is the simplest insurance against shell erosion.
Temperament & Tankmates
Completely peaceful and slow-moving, so tankmates must be peaceful too. Good with small tetras, rasboras, danios, livebearers, peaceful Corydoras, and most shrimp. Avoid cichlids, large goldfish, loaches, puffers, and assassin snails, all of which may attack them.
Approximate Shipping Size
Spike-topped Apple Snails ship at approximately 0.5–0.75 inch (1.5–2 cm) shell. Adult size is approximately 1.5–2 inch (4–5 cm). All orders are covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee.