Rabbit snail
A large livebearing snail with a wrinkled face and a slow deliberate gait, which produces one fully formed offspring at a time rather than a clutch. It is the opposite of a pest snail: numbers rise slowly enough that a population is unlikely to get away from anybody.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Tylomelania sp.
- Adult size
- 5–10 cm (2–3.9 in)
- Lifespan
- 2–3 years
- Temperature
- 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
- pH
- 7.2–8.5
- Hardness
- 8–20 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 60 L (16 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 60 cm
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Social
- Loose group
- Diet
- Detritivore
- Overall confidence
- low confidence
What keeping this species involves
Wants hard alkaline water and a real food supply, and its shell erodes visibly in soft acidic conditions.
Rocky and sandy beds of ancient tectonic lakes, in hard alkaline water.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Rabbit snail
- Scientific name
- Tylomelania sp.
- Family
- Pachychilidae
- Order
- Cerithiimorpha
- Class
- Gastropoda
- Also sold as
- elephant snail, Sulawesi rabbit snail, Tylomelania, poso orange rabbit snail
Name ambiguity
Entered at genus rank deliberately. Tylomelania is a Sulawesi radiation of several dozen species, the trade sells them under colour names such as 'orange rabbit' and 'chocolate rabbit', and the binomials shops attach — most often T. gracilis or T. zemis — do not resolve to accepted species in the authority. The genus is confirmed; the species is not, and asserting one would be inventing an identification.
Adult size and growth
5–10 cm (2–3.9 in) — Shell length, which varies substantially between the species in trade. Larger forms exceed 8 cm.
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 2–3 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
A large slow grazer needs surface area to work across and enough water volume to dilute a bioload considerably higher than a small snail's.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 24–29 °C (75–84 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 7.2–8.5 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 8–20 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Carbonate hardness | 4–12 °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 slow grazer needs surface area to work across and enough water volume to dilute a bioload considerably higher than a small snail's. |
| Water flow | low | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Sand it can burrow into, rock and driftwood to graze, and hard alkaline water. |
Behaviour
- Moves slowly and continuously across hard surfaces, grazing biofilm.
- Burrows partly into sand and rests for long periods.
Feeding
Eats softer plants, particularly Java fern rhizomes and Cryptocoryne, which surprises keepers who bought it as a plant-safe grazer.
- Diet type
- Detritivore
- Staples
- Biofilm and algae, Blanched vegetables, Sinking wafers
- Supplements
- Calcium-rich foods or a cuttlebone
Breeding
- Strategy
- Ovoviviparous — a single large juvenile released at a time
- Difficulty
- straightforward
- Parental care
- bearer
One offspring every few weeks. A tank does not become overrun with these the way it does with a pest snail.
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 | nibbles | 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.
- Shell erosion in soft acidic water is permanent and eventually reaches the living animal. Hardness here is a welfare requirement rather than a preference.
- Eats soft-leaved plants. It is not a safe grazer for a delicately planted tank.
- Endemic to two ancient lake systems under pressure from mining and introduced species; almost all stock is wild-collected.
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
- Lakes Poso and Malili, Sulawesi, Indonesia — endemic to ancient lakes
- Habitat
- Rocky and sandy beds of ancient tectonic lakes, in hard alkaline water.
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 | Tylomelania sp. | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Lakes Poso and Malili, Sulawesi, Indonesia — endemic to ancient lakes | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 5–10 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 2–3 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 24–29 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 7.2–8.5 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | low confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 8–20 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | low 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 | 4–12 °dKH | Aquarium-literature consensus | low 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 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. No checklist distribution statement is held for this species. The range on the page is editorial until one is.
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
Indifferent to its own kind. Numbers are limited by food rather than by tolerance.