Red Ramshorn Snail (Indoplanorbis exustus)

Remarks:  The common name of ramshorn snail is used within the hobby for a number of different species of small snail with a flattened, spiral-shaped shell. The species we are offering were imported as Indoplanorbis exustus. More specifically, they are the red variant that display a red foot and a tan shell providing a splash of color that stands out amongst green plants. They are voracious algae-eaters, reproduce readily, are very hardy, and are completely peaceful. These aspects make ramshorn snails excellent additions to almost any aquarium as clean up crew, a low-maintenance food source for snail eaters, or just as an adorable addition to watch crawl all around the tank.   Ramshorn snails, like other small, prolific snails commonly seen in the hobby, often get a bad rap of being “pest snails.” Many will see them as a detriment to their aquascapes as they wrongfully believe ramshorn snails will eat their plants and reproduce uncontrollably. In reality, these scavengers actually are feeding on decaying plant matter, only going for living tissue when starving. Their numbers are also something that can be controlled and even come in handy as an indicator of conditions within your aquarium. To produce eggs and grow their population, ramshorn snails need an abundance of food. As they are opportunistic omnivores, this food source can be excess fish food, decaying plant matter, or even a dead fish or invertebrate. Therefore, if you see an explosion in your ramshorn snail population, this can be a sign for you that you are feeding too much or something has died and is decaying within your aquarium.   While it is possible to control ramshorn snail populations easily by reducing their access to food, adding predators such as loaches, or physically removing them with traps, this isn’t so easy once they have been introduced to the wild. Indoplanorbis exustus are native throughout India and Southeast Asia, but due to introduction from human activity, invasive population can be found in Africa and North America. They may only have an average lifespan of about 4 months, but being hermaphroditic and prolific breeders allows these snails to take over an area and outcompete native snail populations quickly. To prevent any further damage to the environment, please be careful to not allow any of these snails or their eggs to be let out into the wild. Sterilize any containers they have been in and do not dispose of aquatic plants or substrate outdoors.