Gold inca snail

Overview

The gold inca snail is the popular golden-yellow form of the mystery snail (Pomacea bridgesii, also called diffusa) — a peaceful, plant-safe apple snail that adds a bright pop of colour and useful cleanup work. It grazes algae, biofilm and leftover food across the tank, and, unusually for a larger snail, it mostly leaves healthy live plants alone. Easy-going and undemanding, it’s a favourite centrepiece invertebrate. Compare it with the algae-specialist nerite snail and the plain mystery snail.

Tank & water

Give them a little more room than a nerite — a 38 litre (10 gallon) tank suits one or two of these larger snails. They like harder, alkaline water:

• A cycled tank — cycle fully; they still dislike ammonia and nitrite.
• Harder, alkaline water — pH above 7 and some hardness keep the big shell strong; soft, acidic water pits and erodes it.
• Calcium — hardness and mineral supplementation prevent thin, cracked shells on this large snail.
• No copper — copper in some medications and fertilisers harms snails and shrimp; check labels.
• An air gap and lid — they’re air-breathers that surface to breathe, and they climb, so leave space above the water and cover the tank.

Feeding

Gold inca snails are omnivores grazing algae, biofilm and detritus, but in a clean tank that isn’t enough for such a large snail — feed them well. Offer algae wafers, blanched vegetables (courgette, spinach) and a quality sinking food regularly. A well-fed inca is far less likely to nibble soft plants, and good feeding plus calcium keeps the shell smooth and strong.

Tankmates & breeding

Gold inca snails are entirely peaceful and mix with community fish, shrimp and other snails; they make good tankmates for a shrimp tank. Avoid snail-eaters such as loaches, pufferfish and the assassin snail, and any fish that nips snail antennae. Breeding is easy: a female climbs above the water and lays a pink clutch that hatches into baby snails — leave the air gap for it, or simply remove clutches to control numbers.