Black nerite snail (Neritina pulligera) care guide

Group

Snails

Other names

Dusky nerite, Black racer nerite, Black nerite, Nerita rossmassleriana, Neritina brandtii, Neritina larga

Family

Neritidae

Origin

Indo-West Pacific: from Madagascar, Mozambique and South Africa to India, northern Australia and Japan; fast rocky streams

Water

freshwater

Maximum size

4 cm

Temperature

23–29°C

pH

7–8

Hardness

6–12 dGH, 3–8 dKH

Care level

beginner

Care

Neritina pulligera is a freshwater nerite with a thick, oval shell, pale olive-green to dark brown or nearly black, with a low spire, a large opening lined with an orange band and a bluish-black, slightly toothed inner lip. Most are 2–2.6 cm long, a few reach about 4 cm, and males are smaller and often more brightly coloured. The shell covers almost the whole body so only the tentacles show. It is the type species of the genus Neritina. Habitat: fast-flowing rocky streams and rivers, often in groups on boulders in moderate current, down to tidal and slightly brackish reaches, at about 23–29 °C. Set-up: a mature tank with rock and wood carrying algae and biofilm. It likes good oxygen and some flow. It can climb out, so keep a lid on. The water figures for pH and hardness are general nerite guidance rather than from a source: water that is not soft or acidic helps protect the shell from erosion. Role: one of the best algae grazers for planted and shrimp tanks, clearing film and spot algae from glass, rocks and leaves without harming plants. Feeding guide: it will not eat ordinary fish food, so it can starve once algae runs out, and new imports often arrive underfed. Give it time to find algae, or add algae wafers or blanched courgette if algae is scarce. Copper: copper-based medicines and some plant fertilisers are toxic to shrimp, snails and most other invertebrates. Never dose them in a tank holding this animal, and read the label of any treatment, fertiliser or algae remover before use. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neritinapulligera). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Grazes algae and biofilm from hard surfaces. It does not take conventional fish or invertebrate food. In a tank short of algae, offer sinking algae wafers, spirulina tablets or blanched courgette, and leave some glass algae for it.

Breeding

Sexes are separate and fertilisation is internal; females can store sperm and keep laying. Each egg capsule is about 2 mm long, hardened with grains stored in a special sac, and laid in clusters of 9–39, often on the shells of other living snails. The snail is amphidromous: the larvae drift downstream to the sea and develop in salt water, then juveniles return upstream. Because the larvae need salt water it has not been bred in captivity; the small white capsules seen in tanks will not hatch into snails in fresh water.

Compatibility and tank mates

Peaceful and safe with fish, shrimp and plants. Avoid loaches and puffers that eat snails, and assassin snails (Anentome helena), which may attack it. Its thick shell protects it from many shell-boring snails.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.