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Freshwater   Invertebrates

Nerita zebra
(Neritina natalensis)

Nerita zebra

Alternative species (click on the thumbnail to see the card)

Names

Scientific name
Neritina natalensis

Common name
Nerita zebra
Zebra nerite

Origin

what are his countries of origin?

Origin: South Africa
Biotope: not specific

Dimorphism

what are the physical differences between males and females?

None

Group

group

Neritidae

Volume

what is the minimum volume for this species?

30 L / 0.6 imp gal / 0.8 US gal

Parameters

what are the water parameters for the maintenance of this fish?

T°: 22 to 26°C or 72 to 79°F
pH: 7 to 8.5
Hardness: 10 to 30°dGH

Difficulty

Difficulty

Easy

Size

what is the maximum size of this nail?

3 cm (1")

Longevity

what is the average Longevity of this nail?

3 to 5 years

Living zone

in which area of the aquarium does this nail  live?

Everywhere

Individuals

sociability of the species

1

Food

How to feed the Neritina?

Food

How to feed the Neritina?

Very good assistant of the aquarist, the Neritina is an assiduous and exclusive seaweed eater (it will attack even the brown algae brush!), with a marked preference for encrusted seaweeds.

Their effectiveness in eradicating algae will be multiplied in the presence of several individuals. However, do not think of it as a miracle solution, but rather as an excellent support for you! It will still be necessary to look at what causes the appearance of algae...

Note that they do not attack plants.

Behavior

What kind of behavior does the Neritina have?

Behavior

What kind of behavior does the Neritina have?

Very peaceful, Neritinas will go about their business all day long. They evolve on the windows, the decoration, and the soil but not on the plants because they are too heavy for that (except some plants with broad solid leaves, but it remains rather rare).

Cohabitation

Who can live with the Neritina?

Cohabitation

Who can live with the Neritinathe Neritina?

Harmless to all. It seems that they like to live in groups of several individuals.

Avoid cohabitation with snail-eating species such as Botias or Anentomes.

Breeding

How to breed the Neritina?

Breeding

How to breed the Neritina?

Neritinas are not hermaphrodite, but sexed. They will regularly lay eggs on the decoration. Eggs of white colour, look like a half-ball and are about 1 mm. They will require a passage in brackish (salty) water to hatch.

The advantage is that you will not be invaded by snails, the disadvantage is that you can have a lot of eggs spread over the decoration, which is not very pretty. In addition, they are quite difficult to remove.

Its aquarium

Which aquarium for the Neritina?

Its aquarium

Which aquarium for the Neritina?

This mollusk is suitable for all types of aquarium. However, take special care of acclimatization which can be tricky.

The aquarium containing Neritinas must imperatively be closed because these snails tend to go exploring! Nevertheless, if one of your snails is out of the water, do not throw it away! It may still be alive, even several days later.

Good To know

Find all additional information!

Good To know

Find all additional information!

Originally, these snails live in the sea. They have adapted well to freshwater and are becoming more and more common in aquariums.

Yours photos!

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