Description
The Bumblebee Horn Snail is a small member of the Nerite algae-eating group of snails and has an attractive black and yellow pattern with random protruding ‘horns’ over the shell. These snails are great for planted community aquaria, where no predatory fish are present (i.e. loaches, pufferfish etc).
Despite their diminutive size, these little gastropods are amazingly efficient algae grazers and so are a real benefit to the aquarist. Your prized plants, such as slow-growing Anubias species, will benefit from the snail's gentle grazing habits as they will help to prevent the build-up of otherwise difficult-to-remove algae from their leaves. Only dead or decaying plant matter will be eaten.
The water should be moderately hard and alkaline to allow for healthy shell development. In softer water, where the calcium concentration will be lower, the snails will be very prone to deterioration of the shell.