Channelled apple snail
One of the most damaging aquatic invasive species in the world, responsible for major rice crop losses across South-East Asia, and a snail that will strip a planted aquarium. It is included because it is confused with the mystery snail constantly, and the difference matters legally as well as botanically.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Pomacea canaliculata
- Adult size
- 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in)
- Lifespan
- 1–4 years
- Temperature
- 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
- pH
- 7–8.5
- Hardness
- 8–25 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 60 L (16 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 60 cm
- Swimming zone
- All levels
- Social
- Tolerant of any grouping
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Overall confidence
- moderate confidence
What keeping this species involves
Hardy, fast-growing and tolerant. Nothing about keeping it is difficult, which is precisely why it establishes wherever it is released.
Still and slow, warm, well-vegetated water including wetlands and irrigated fields.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Channelled apple snail
- Scientific name
- Pomacea canaliculata
- Family
- Ampullariidae
- Order
- Architaenioglossa
- Class
- Gastropoda
- Also sold as
- golden apple snail, channeled applesnail, Pomacea canaliculata
Name ambiguity
Distinct from Pomacea bridgesii, the 'mystery snail' of the aquarium trade, and frequently confused with it. The two differ in shell suture and, far more importantly, in appetite: P. canaliculata eats living plants and P. bridgesii largely does not.
Adult size and growth
4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) — Shell diameter. Larger in warm conditions with abundant food.
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 1–4 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Water and tank requirements
A large snail with a substantial bioload that needs air access at the surface and floor area to work across.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 18–28 °C (64–82 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 7–8.5 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 8–25 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Carbonate hardness | 4–15 °dKH | Buffering capacity — what stops the pH moving. |
| Minimum volume | 60 L (16 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 60 cm long | A large snail with a substantial bioload that needs air access at the surface and floor area to work across. |
| Water flow | low | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Hard alkaline water, an air gap above the waterline for the siphon, and no plants you want to keep. |
Behaviour
- Extends a long siphon to the surface to breathe rather than relying on gill respiration alone.
- Lays clutches of pink eggs above the waterline, often on the tank rim or cover.
Feeding
Eats living plants readily, which is the clearest practical difference from Pomacea bridgesii and the reason it is an agricultural pest.
- Diet type
- Herbivore
- Staples
- Aquatic plants, Blanched vegetables, Sinking wafers
Breeding
- Strategy
- Bright pink egg clutches laid above the waterline
- Difficulty
- straightforward
- Parental care
- none
The clutches are laid out of water on hard surfaces and are conspicuous. This is also how the species spreads between water bodies.
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | none | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | none | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | none | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | none | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | none | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | consumes | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- Strips planted tanks. Keeping it and keeping soft-leaved plants are alternatives, not a combination.
- Egg clutches laid above the waterline dry out and die if the tank is uncovered, which is worth knowing before treating a clutch as a loss.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- Native to the Río de la Plata basin in South America; introduced and invasive across South-East Asia, the southern United States and elsewhere
- Habitat
- Still and slow, warm, well-vegetated water including wetlands and irrigated fields.
What the checklists say
39 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Native | 1 | A checklist states the species occurs here naturally. |
| Introduced | 30 | A checklist states the species arrived here with human help. That is not a statement that it is established, harmful or illegal. |
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 8 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
Legal status and responsible practice
Restriction note
The EU restriction on apple snails is a PLANT HEALTH measure covering the genus Pomacea, not an entry on the invasive alien species Union list — a distinction AquariumHQ got wrong in Sprint 2 and corrected. The current instrument is Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2013, applicable from 26 January 2025, which repealed and replaced Decision 2012/697/EU. Its scope is genus-level on its face, so it reaches this species as it reaches the mystery snail. AquariumHQ has not been able to open the operative text, so what follows for a snail already in a private aquarium is not stated here. This species is separately prohibited or regulated in several other jurisdictions as an agricultural pest. Check with the national plant health authority before acquiring, selling or moving these animals, and never release them or their eggs.
Never release aquarium life into the wild
Aquarium animals, plants, and aquarium water must never be released into ponds, rivers, canals, drains or the sea — not even in a country where the species is sold freely. Released fish and invertebrates establish populations that displace native species, and released plants and water carry pathogens, parasites and fragments capable of spreading without any animal at all. If you can no longer keep an animal, rehome it through an aquarium society, a retailer that accepts returns, or another keeper.
- Rehome through a local aquarium society, a specialist retailer or another keeper.
- Unwanted plants go in household waste or a hot compost heap, never in a watercourse or a garden pond.
- Never empty a bucket of tank water into a drain that discharges to open water.
- If an animal is beyond rehoming, ask an aquatic veterinarian about humane euthanasia rather than releasing it.
Legal status is recorded from the sources named and was correct on the verification date shown. Rules change, and sub-national rules often differ from national ones. Check the current position with the relevant authority before acquiring, selling or moving any animal or plant.
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Pomacea canaliculata | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Native to the Río de la Plata basin in South America; introduced and invasive across South-East Asia, the southern United States and elsewhere | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 4–8 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 1–4 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 18–28 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 7–8.5 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 8–25 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 60 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 60 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| carbonate hardness | 4–15 °dKH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-12. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 39 distribution statements held from GBIF checklists — native in 1, introduced in 27 countries. Establishment means is reproduced from the source, never inferred from occurrence.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
carbonate hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
Group size and social behaviour
Separate sexes and indifferent to one another. Numbers rise quickly where both are present.