Zebra nerite snail

Overview

Zebra nerite snails (Neritina natalensis) are a boldly patterned form of the go-to algae-eating nerite — golden shells striped with dark, zebra-like bands. Like all nerites they graze tough algae films that defeat other cleaners, and, crucially, they cannot breed in freshwater, so they never overrun a tank the way pest snails do. Peaceful, hard-working and handsome, they’re one of the best cleanup snails you can add.

Tank & water

A 19 litre (5 gallon) tank is enough for one or two. Nerites prefer harder, more alkaline water than shrimp:

• A cycled tank — cycle fully; they still dislike ammonia and nitrite.
• Harder, alkaline water — pH above 7 and some hardness keep their shells healthy; soft, acidic water erodes shells over time.
• Calcium — hardness and mineral supplementation prevent pitted, thinning shells.
• No copper — copper in some medications and fertilisers harms snails and shrimp; check labels.

Feeding

Zebra nerites are algae grazers first and foremost, and a tank with steady algae growth may feed them entirely. In a very clean tank, supplement with algae wafers, blanched vegetables or a quality sinking food so they don’t starve — a snail that has cleared all the algae still needs feeding. A common mistake is adding too many nerites to a small, spotless tank, where they strip the last algae and slowly starve, so match snail numbers to how much algae your tank actually grows.

Tankmates & breeding

Zebra nerites are entirely peaceful and mix with almost any community fish, shrimp and other snails, making them ideal cleanup crew for a shrimp tank. Avoid known snail-eaters such as loaches, pufferfish and the assassin snail. They won’t breed in freshwater, so a group stays stable — add snails to match your algae, not the other way around. Compare them with the plain nerite snail and the larger mystery snail for other peaceful options.