Although its common name is the tropical ramshorn snail, Planorbis rubrum can be kept in coldwater aquariums and even ponds. It can grow to 3 cm but 2.5 is more common it comes in a veriety of colours from brown to red ,blue ,pink ,orange and black. They are great algae grazers and will graze algae from rocks, glass and plants (they rarely eat live plants). They are also excellent scavangers feeding on detritus and left over fishfood. While it can survive in an outdoor pond, it is better suited to coldwater and tropical aquariums. Snails make up an essential part of a pond or aquarium ecosystem and would make an excellent addition to a wildlife pond.
mixed colour Tropical ramshorn snail (planorbis rubrum ) mixed colours
The tropical ramshorn snail is hardy and can survive in a wide range of conditions it is very easy to keep, although like most aquatic can be sensitive to acidic water (low ph). They can easily survive from scavenging and don't need any additional food especially if being kept in an outdoor pond, but if you want to put extra food in for them they can be fed algae wafers, bloodworm pellets, shrimp pellets or fishfood. They are hermaphrodites and easy to breed. It lays small clusters of 12 to 40.
