Orange Giant Sulawesi Snail - Care Guide

As one of the largest freshwater snails in the world, Orange Giant Sulawesi snails are very rare within the aquarium hobby - but they are quickly gaining in popularity! These snails' bodies are the color of liquid gold, and the shell is light brown to black and sometimes features a white crown. This is a very striking snail and sure to impress viewers, almost all of which will have never seen one before.

 

 

 

Overview 

Sulawesi snails hail from Sulawesi, Indonesia – a region bursting at the seams with beautiful and diverse freshwater aquatic life. These snails are very rare in the United States and are extremely difficult to find through traditional means, such as pet stores. A Sulawesi snail is identifiable by its long, whorled shell and beautifully colored body, or “foot.” The foot is essentially one big muscle that the snail uses to move its entire body - shell included! It looks like the snail is dragging its shell behind it as it takes each long, ambling step forward. 

Sulawesi snails are completely peaceful, and therefore safe to keep with any fish, shrimp, and most plants. These are freshwater snails and their adaptable nature makes them suitable for just about any freshwater aquarium. However, these snails come from a tropical climate, so aquariums with high temperatures are required for them to thrive.

We sell  a few different types of Sulawesi snails here at Aquatic Arts, including: Giant Sulawesi Snails (with white or yellow spotted bodies), Orange Giant Sulawesi snails, Golden Giant Sulawesi snails, and Mini Golden Rabbit snails.

 

Species

Tylomelania gemmifera

  

Size 

Giant Sulawesi snails are one of the largest freshwater snails in the hobby, sometimes reaching 4 inches in length as full-grown adults. Since these snails are large and need room to move, it's a good idea to avoid dense vegetation or overcrowding in your aquarium. 

 

 

Recommended Tank Parameters 

  • pH level range: 7.5 to 8.5
  • Temperature range: 78° to 82° F
  • Water type: kH 2-15
  • Note from the owner: Snails are very sensitive to copper, so watch out for copper if you use tap water in your tank. They also need a decent amount of calcium in their water to maintain their shell health, which can be helped by feeding the snails foods rich in calcium (such as kale, spinach, and other greens), by floating a cuttle bone in the water, or by using additives.

  

Feeding

Sulawesi snails eat algae, plant matter, and invertebrate pellets, and they have also been known to munch on plants, such as Java Ferns.  They are efficient at cleaning up waste in aquariums because they feed on leftover food or almost any kind of fish food.

 

Warning! Avoid any food product, medication, or plant fertilizer that contains Copper of any form. Copper is toxic to invertebrates. Many commercial fish foods, medications, and plant fertilizers contain copper or more commonly copper sulfate. Always look at the ingredient list for any product going into the aquarium to ensure they are copper free.

 

Breeding

Giant Sulawesi snails are known to breed in home freshwater aquariums in ideal water conditions, but at an extremely slow rate. Thus, they tend to never create an overpopulation problem in tanks. Their method of reproduction is quite unique – the male will impregnate a female, and embryos will form in a pouch inside of the shell, where they can feed from the female's nutrients. Once the embryos have properly developed, the mother will expel 1 to 3 egg sacs into the water at a time. The white casing on the eggs will soon dissolve to reveal a perfect miniature versions of the adult snails.

 

What to Expect from Us

We generally ship young adult Sulawesi snails that will range from 1 to 3 inches in length. They are shipped in water in breather bags with a small air pocket inside.

All Aquatic Arts brand plants and animals come with a 100% live arrival guarantee, plus free email support directly from the owners!  All that we require is that you send us a clear, digital picture of the unopened bag of DOAs, and we will replace them free of charge.

 

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