Towuti rabbit snail (Tylomelania towutica) care guide

Group
Snails
Other names
Rabbit snail, Sulawesi rabbit snail, Melania towutica
Family
Pachychilidae
Origin
Lake Towuti and the Tominanga River, south Sulawesi, Indonesia
Water
freshwater
Temperature
26–30°C
pH
7.5–8.5
Care level
intermediate

Care

Tylomelania towutica is one of the rabbit snails from the ancient lakes of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It lives in Lake Towuti and the Tominanga River and was first described as Melania towutica. Rabbit snails get their name from the long, rabbit-like face with drooping tentacles; Tylomelania species have tall, pointed shells and often brightly coloured bodies, and like all Pachychilidae they close the shell with a trapdoor (operculum). Our sources give no adult size or colours for this species. Our sources give no water figures; those here are general guidance for Sulawesi rabbit snails, not from a source. Keep them warm (about 26–30 °C) in alkaline water (pH 7.5–8.5) with good oxygenation, in a mature tank with a soft sand substrate they can dig in, rock and some cover. Water that is too soft and acidic erodes their shells. They are slow, gentle and long-lived for snails, and do not attack plants. They are excellent detritus and leftover-food eaters and suit Sulawesi shrimp tanks, which need the same water. Copper-based medicines and some plant fertilisers are toxic to shrimp, snails and most invertebrates. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tylomelaniatowutica). Checked October 2026.

Diet

General guidance, not from a source: a scavenger and grazer that eats detritus, biofilm, algae, dead leaves and leftover food. Supplement with sinking pellets, algae wafers and blanched vegetables, and make sure enough food reaches the bottom, as rabbit snails in clean tanks can go hungry.

Breeding

Rabbit snails have separate sexes and give birth to live young. Females usually carry 1–7 embryos in a brood pouch; each one is born as a single, relatively large baby snail (newly hatched shell heights range from 0.5 to 9.3 mm), often encased in a small white capsule from which it emerges. Breeding is slow but steady in a stable tank, and the young need no special care.

Compatibility and tank mates

Peaceful and safe with fish, shrimp and plants. Ideal with Sulawesi Caridina shrimp. Avoid puffers, loaches, crayfish and other snail-eaters.

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

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