These little fellas are actually about the size of a dime or a marble, and may have little barnacles growing on the shells, depending on if they are collected from an estuary or if they’re farm-raised. Farm-raised nerites will have a smoother shell with no growth on the outside. The largest specimens of this species are less than an inch across. Probably about the best algae eating snail for aquariums in the world, as they DO NOT reproduce in freshwater, but only in brackish or saltwater. More info on Reproduction below.
the eggs won’t hatch unless the eggs are laid in, at least, brackish water at an optimum temp. Great for keeping GLASS, & PLANT LEAVES clean! NO, They won’t eat your plants either. What else could you want in a snail?
REPRODUCTION: Aquarists have not had much luck breeding these Nerites. Many species simply do not lay eggs under typical aquarium conditions, and on the few occasions where it has been reported of eg laying, only rarely have baby snails been produced. Nerites cannot reproduce without mating first, unlike the Malaysian livebearing snail.
In the wild, this species is found primarily in coastal marine habitats, in fresh, brackish, and saltwater conditions. This snail will prosper in hard, alkaline freshwater for long periods, perhaps indefinitely. In brackish conditions, this is perhaps the ideal snail for low to moderate salinity at (SG 1.003 and upwards) success is altogether more secure.