The short answer
Nerite snails eat algae and biofilm above all — that’s their staple, and it’s why they’re prized as clean-up crew. They graze the soft green and brown film off glass, plants, rocks and wood all day long. In a tank without much algae you’ll need to supplement them with algae wafers, blanched vegetables or a snail food, because a spotless tank can actually leave a nerite hungry.
Their natural diet
Nerites are dedicated grazers of soft, filmy algae:
- Green spot and green dust algae on glass and hardscape
- Brown diatom algae, common in newer tanks
- Soft green film and biofilm on every surface
They’ll also scavenge leftover fish food and pick at decaying plant matter. What they won’t eat is tougher problem algae like hair algae or black beard algae — so they’re a maintenance grazer, not a fix for an outbreak. And reassuringly, they don’t eat healthy plants, which makes them one of the few genuinely plant-safe algae eaters.
What to feed as a supplement
When natural grazing isn’t enough, top up with:
- Algae wafers or a specialist snail food
- Blanched vegetables — zucchini, spinach, cucumber — weighted down and removed after a few hours
- A calcium source in soft water to keep their shells strong
Browse options in our food range and food picks.
The bigger picture
Diet is one part of keeping nerites well — they also need stable, established water and enough calcium for their shells. Read the full nerite snail care guide, and for how well they handle algae, see do nerite snails really eat algae. Keep the tank in balance with regular maintenance.