The rabbit snail is a large, slow-moving freshwater snail from the ancient lakes of Sulawesi, named for its long, wrinkled, droopy face that resembles a rabbit's. With a tall conical shell and a brightly coloured body — yellow, orange, gold or black depending on the form — it is a peaceful, characterful centrepiece invertebrate. It is a slow livebearer that produces just one or two young at a time, so it never overruns a tank, but it needs warm, hard, alkaline water to thrive.
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Long conical shell commonly 5-8 cm (2-3 in); some reach 10 cm.
Lifespan
2–3 years
Social needs
group
Native region
Sulawesi, Indonesia
Origin
Old World
Climate
🌴 Tropical
Water type
💧 Freshwater
Family
Pachychilidae
Genus
Tylomelania
Part of the Freshwater snails
Algae-grazing and detritus-cleaning aquarium snails — from tiny ramshorns and nerites to large mystery, rabbit and trapdoor snails. Hardy invertebrate cleanup crew for planted and community freshwater tanks, most needing mineral-rich water for strong shells.
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
Photo coming soon
Minimum
Cycled Sulawesi-style FW
10+ gal cycled, soft warm water
Rabbit snails (Tylomelania spp.) are endemic to Sulawesi — soft, warm water (26–30 °C), pH 7.5–8.5, sandy substrate. They breed slowly (live-bearing, 1–2 babies at a time).
Photo coming soon
Recommended
Planted Sulawesi-style tank
20 gal planted, sand substrate
Planted Sulawesi-style tank with sand, low-medium current, and supplemental algae wafers / blanched veg. Compatible with Sulawesi shrimp under matching parameters.
Photo coming soon
Ideal
Sulawesi biotope aquarium
30 gal+ Sulawesi biotope
Sulawesi biotope with warm pH 8 hard water, mature filtration, and a small breeding group. The most colourful rabbit snail morphs (chocolate, white-spot, yellow) become a focal display.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
Photo coming soon
Larva
Most marine invertebrates hatch into microscopic planktonic larvae (such as the zoea of crustaceans or the bipinnaria/veliger of echinoderms and mollusks) that drift and feed in the water column. The larva looks nothing like the adult and undergoes major reorganization.
Photo coming soon
Juvenile
After settling out of the plankton, the juvenile takes on a recognizable miniature of the adult body plan — a tiny shell, a small star, or a translucent shrimp. Crustaceans grow by molting, shedding the exoskeleton to enlarge.
Adult
Adults reach full size and reproductive maturity with the species' mature shell, shape, or coloration. Many continue to molt or grow throughout life, and some show sex differences in size or claw/appendage shape.
Color & pattern variants
Natural variants occur in the wild; selectively bred (man-made) variants were developed in captivity.
Provide a cycled freshwater tank of at least 75 L (20 gal) for a small group, as these are large, active grazers. Replicate their Sulawesi lake origins with warm 26-29 C (79-84 F), pH 7.5-8.5 and hard, alkaline, mineral-rich water (GH 8-15, KH 4-8). Stable, warm conditions are important; they dislike cool or soft, acidic water, which erodes their shells. Gentle to moderate flow and standard lighting suit them.
A deep sand or fine-gravel bed lets them plough and graze; include driftwood, smooth rock and robust or unpalatable plants.
Substrate
Deep, soft fine sand is ideal so they can plough and graze without abrading the foot; smooth fine gravel also works. Mimic the Sulawesi lake bed with rock, driftwood and open grazing areas.
Equipment & setup
A heated, well-filtered freshwater aquarium with stable warm temperatures; a reliable heater is essential given their warm requirements. No skimmer needed. Supplement hardness with crushed coral or a mineral additive if your water is soft, and avoid any copper.
Diet
Omnivorous grazer feeding on biofilm, soft algae, detritus, leftover food and decaying plant matter. It readily takes algae wafers, sinking pellets, blanched vegetables (courgette, carrot) and the occasional protein supplement. It may nibble soft, tender plants such as some stems and floating roots, so pair with tougher species. Provide calcium-rich foods or supplements for shell maintenance.
Behavior & temperament
Very peaceful, slow and sociable; reef-irrelevant (freshwater). Excellent with community fish, dwarf shrimp and other peaceful snails, and safe to keep in groups. Best kept in small groups for natural behaviour and breeding. Avoid snail-eating tankmates such as loaches, pufferfish and assassin snails, which will harass or kill them. Livebearing with very low reproductive rate, so populations stay manageable.
Health
Sensitive to poor or unstable water and to soft, acidic, calcium-poor conditions, which cause shell erosion and pitting on these large shells. They are slow to acclimate and stressed by sudden parameter swings, so acclimate carefully and keep parameters steady. Highly intolerant of copper and invert-toxic medications. A snail that stays sealed and unmoving for days, especially with odour, may have died — remove promptly.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Drip-acclimate slowly over 30-60 minutes, as rabbit snails are sensitive to abrupt changes. Keep KH and GH up with crushed coral in the filter or substrate to protect their large shells, and feed a varied diet including blanched veg. They breed slowly, dropping single offspring in a calcareous 'capsule', so be patient if hoping to raise young.
