Rabbit Snail (Clea Helena)
Tylomelania Sarasin u. Sarasin, 1897
Class: CAENOGASTROPODA COX, 1959
Order: CERITHIOIDEA FARUSSAC, 1819
Family: PACHYCHILIDAE TROSCHEL, 1857
Genus: TYLOMELANIASARASIN & SARASIN, 1897
Sulawesi Tylomelanias are quite variable regarding their sizes, colors and variety of shapes. Some species seem to be pretty adaptable to the aquarium.
Rabbit snails are freshwater snails from Sulawesi in Indonesia. Rabbit snails are also commonly known as Sulawesi snails, elephant snails, or by their scientific name, Tylomelania. These snails are highly prized in the aquarium because of their striking skin and shell colours and patterns, as well as their habits of eating leftover fish food, helping to keep the aquarium clean. Unlike many other aquarium snails, rabbit snails reproduce slowly, laying one egg at a time. This means that your aquarium will not be overrun with baby snails. However, although they reproduce slowly, they breed readily.
Originating in Lake Poso in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Poso Orange Rabbit Snails owe their rarity in the hobby to their extremely slow reproductive rates. They are sexually dimorphic and produce one offspring every 4-6 weeks. The single juvenile is incubated within the female, and is deposited within a small, white, soft egg sac. The egg develops within the breeding sac of the adult female. When ready, contractions carry the egg down the length of the female's groove toward the foot and is deposited in the substrate. The soft white egg sack will dissolve within a few minutes revealing a fully-formed juvenile Rabbit Snail. It is safe with the adults, and forages right along side them.
Growing to nearly 5", they are a great addition to peaceful community tanks but are known to eat plants if there isn't enough dead plant material or supplemental vegetable matter for them to chew on. If you wish to try to breed these snails, purchase a group of 6 to assure that both males and females will be in the colony. These snails do best in temperatures between 78 and 82F and prefer hard, alkaline waters with pH over 7.5.