Bladder snail (Physella acuta) care guide

Group

Snails

Other names

Physa acuta, Haitia acuta, European physa, Tadpole snail, Acute bladder snail, Physa heterostropha, Physa integra

Family

Physidae

Origin

North America (probably the United States); now on every continent except Antarctica

Water

freshwater

Maximum size

1.6 cm

Care level

beginner

Lifespan

0.5–1.5 years

Care

The bladder snail is a small, thin-shelled snail up to about 1.6 cm long and 0.9 cm wide. The shell coils to the left (hold it point up with the opening facing you and the opening is on the left), has five or six whorls, a pointed tip and a smooth, pale horn to brownish-yellow surface, and no trapdoor. It is the most widespread freshwater snail in the world, carried around mostly by the plant and aquarium trade, and is common in Britain as an introduced species. Names: older books and many authors still call it Physa acuta; it is also listed as Haitia acuta. How it arrives: almost always as eggs or babies on new plants, in bags of water or on decorations. It tolerates polluted, low-oxygen water because it can breathe air at the surface, and handles a very wide range of temperatures and water types, so it survives almost anywhere. Pest or helper: it is harmless to fish and does a useful job eating algae, biofilm, dead leaves and leftover food. It becomes a nuisance only when overfeeding lets numbers explode. To control it, feed less, remove snails by hand or with a vegetable-slice trap left overnight, add a few assassin snails, and dip or quarantine new plants. A sudden boom is a sign that too much food is reaching the substrate. Never release this animal or empty its tank water into drains or waterways. 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/Physellaacuta). Checked October 2026.

Diet

A scraper that grazes green algae, diatoms and biofilm, plus detritus and leftover food. It may scrape at soft or melting plant leaves but rarely damages healthy plants. No feeding is needed in a normal tank.

Breeding

A hermaphrodite that can cross with another snail or fertilise itself, so a single snail can start a colony. Outcrossing snails mature in about 5–7 weeks (self-fertilising ones nearer 14 weeks). Adults breed all year, laying 50–100 eggs a week in clear jelly sacs on rocks, glass, plants and other snails' shells. The eggs hatch in 15–20 days. Lab snails live about 22–30 weeks, sometimes much longer.

Compatibility and tank mates

Harmless to fish, shrimp and most plants. Eaten by assassin snails, loaches, puffers, gouramis and many cichlids. When threatened it twists its shell rapidly, crawls to the waterline, burrows or floats to the surface.

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