Nerite Snails: The tank cleaners you need!
One of the most popular freshwater aquarium snails are the nerite snails. Yes, you heard it right, they are great tank cleaners. Nerite snails are proficient algae eaters and are able to move around the tank without a sweat.
Snail 1 (right): why do French people eat snail? Snail 2 & 3: Why?
Snail 1 (right): because they don’t like fast food.
If you are planning on purchasing these puny creatures, be sure to choose the ones that have healthy looking shells that are free from cracks, scratches, etc.
(Snails ranting)
Snail 1: Hey! Put us back!
Snail 2: Yeah! Put us back. Your hand stinks. Snail 3: And it doesn’t even taste like algae!
There are different types of nerite snails but the well-known types are: Zebra nerite snail, Tiger nerite snail, Olive Nerite Snail, Black Racer nerite snail and Horned nerite snail.
Photographer: Hey Mr. snail, would you mind if I take a quick photo of you?
Snail: Yeah just make it quick, I’ve got algae to finish.
Photographer: And..... Done!
Snail: Let me see!!
Photographer: Here you go.
Snail: That’s awesome! You “snailed it”
That is what a zebra nerite snail looks like. It has black stripes along its shell, making it look like similar to a zebra.
Snail 1 (Right): Hey guys! Last week I tried to get out of my shell to move faster. Snail 2 (Middle): Did it work?
Snail 3 (Left): Did it make you faster?
Snail 1 (Right): Nah! It actually made me more sluggish.
As you can see, the black racer nerite snails are partly shaded brown, gold and black. Slight grooves are visible on its shell.
Snail: Hey Mr. Photographer! I over-heard the algae talking to the aquarium earlier. Photographer: Really? What’d he say?
Snail: He said, “I don’t know how to say this but uhm! I’m kinda “lichen” you” Photographer: Wow! You must do something about it.
Snail: Yeah he’s for dinner later.
The olive nerite snail has a colorization of olive to brownish-green. Its shell has a marble like texture making it smooth.
They make great aquarium pets, they add color and eat algae! So what are you waiting for! Go get some aquarium snails for your tank!
Snail 1 (Right): Honey, you better not come close to those other ugly-looking shell snail.
Snail 2 (Left): Honey their shell ain’t ugly, it just so happened that our shell looks better than theirs.
The tiger nerite snail shell has a smooth and rigid texture with a light brown color. It also has dotted black patterns resembling tiger stripes, making it appealing to the eyes.
Taking care of this species requires no sweat. They are hardy and can easily adapt to change of water conditions but they are more likely to live longer in a tropical water temperature of 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit.