Malaysian Trumpet Snail Care Guide

Malaysian Trumpet Snail (Melanoides tuberculata) is a beginner-level freshwater invertebrate that needs at least 5 gallons and 68-84°F. A cone-shaped burrowing snail that stirs sand, eats leftover food and keeps substrate from packing. It breeds quickly when feeding is heavy, so numbers show how much food the tank gets.

Care facts at a glance

Quick tips

• Do not overfeed; a population boom means excess food.
• Use it as an indicator of waste, not a cleanup crew.
• Prefer harder, alkaline water.

San Diego water

Naturally suited to San Diego's hard, alkaline tap water once it is dechlorinated (the city uses chloramine, so use a conditioner that handles it). Learn the numbers in our San Diego tap water guide.

Before you buy

Make sure your tank is cycled (how to cycle a tank), check your numbers with the water testing guide, and use the compatibility guide to check tankmates. These are general ranges; individual fish and local water vary.