Nerite snail
The most effective algae-eating snail available, and one that cannot overpopulate a freshwater tank because its larvae need salt water. It will, however, cover the glass in hard white eggs that do not hatch and do not come off easily.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Neritina natalensis
- Adult size
- 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in)
- Lifespan
- 1–3 years
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- pH
- 7–8.5
- Hardness
- 6–20 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 20 L (5 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 30 cm
- Swimming zone
- All levels
- Social
- Tolerant of any grouping
- Diet
- Algae grazer
- Overall confidence
- high confidence
What keeping this species involves
Hardy given hard, alkaline water. Soft acidic water erodes the shell over months.
Coastal streams and estuaries; adults live in fresh water, larvae develop in the sea.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Nerite snail
- Scientific name
- Neritina natalensis
- Family
- Neritidae
- Order
- Cycloneritida
- Class
- Gastropoda
- Also sold as
- zebra nerite, olive nerite, Vittina natalensis
Name ambiguity
Several Neritina and Vittina species are sold as 'nerite'. All share the same key trait: larvae need brackish or marine water, so they cannot become a pest in a freshwater tank.
Adult size and growth
2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 1–3 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
Grazing surface matters more than volume; one nerite per 20–40 litres avoids them running out of algae.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 22–28 °C (72–82 °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 | 6–20 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Carbonate hardness | 4–15 °dKH | Buffering capacity — what stops the pH moving. |
| Minimum volume | 20 L (5 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 30 cm long | Grazing surface matters more than volume; one nerite per 20–40 litres avoids them running out of algae. |
| Water flow | low | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
Behaviour
- Climbs out of open tanks regularly; a lid saves a lot of dried snails.
- Deposits hard white egg capsules on wood, rock and glass. They will not hatch and must be scraped off.
Feeding
One of very few animals that reliably eats hard green spot algae from glass.
- Diet type
- Algae grazer
- Staples
- Green spot algae, Diatoms, Biofilm, Algae wafers when the tank is clean
Breeding
- Strategy
- Lays eggs in fresh water; larvae require brackish or marine conditions to develop
- Difficulty
- rarely achieved
- Parental care
- none
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 | grazes-algae | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Assessed pairings
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.
- Needs adequate calcium and KH. In soft acidic water the shell pits and thins and the animal eventually fails.
- A nerite lying upside down on the substrate usually cannot right itself — turn it over.
- Copper-sensitive, like all invertebrates.
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
- East Africa and the western Indian Ocean rim; related species across the Indo-Pacific
- Habitat
- Coastal streams and estuaries; adults live in fresh water, larvae develop in the sea.
What the checklists say
4 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 4 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
No checklist AquariumHQ holds positively calls this species native anywhere, so the native range above rests on AquariumHQ’s own reading of the literature rather than on a cited checklist.
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 | Neritina natalensis | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | East Africa and the western Indian Ocean rim; related species across the Indo-Pacific | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 2–3 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 1–3 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 22–28 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 7–8.5 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 6–20 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 20 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 30 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| carbonate hardness | 4–15 °dKH | Aquarium-literature consensus | high 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 2026-08-11. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires, and the source files it under "Vittina natalensis" — both names are searchable.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableLimited evidence — treat with caution.
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. 4 distribution statements held, and not one of them states an establishment means. Presence without native-or-introduced is not a native-range claim, so this stays below requirement rather than being read as one.
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
Solitary but entirely indifferent to others of its kind.