Pumpkin Striped Nerite Snail (Vittina sp.)

The Pumpkin Striped Nerite Snail (Vittina sp.) is a small, glossy nerite with a shell in warm orange to red tones banded with dark stripes, so a few of them on the glass look like tiny striped pumpkins. Patterns vary from snail to snail, which is half the fun. Like every nerite it is a tireless algae eater that works glass, rock, driftwood, and plant leaves around the clock, and it will not overrun your tank, because nerite eggs do not hatch in freshwater. Pair it with the rest of our freshwater cleanup crew.

Care Guide

• Algae control: grazes soft green film, brown diatoms, and biofilm from every hard surface and from broad plant leaves. Plan on roughly one nerite per 5 gallons for steady grazing.
• No population explosion: nerites need brackish water for their larvae to survive, so they will not breed in a freshwater tank. Females may still lay small, hard white eggs that look like sesame seeds on hardscape, wood, and glass. The eggs are harmless and will not hatch, though they can take a while to wear away.
• Tight lid: nerites like to explore above the waterline, and a snail that climbs out overnight dries out quickly. Keep a lid on the tank and leave a small gap below the rim if you can.
• Hard water for strong shells: keep pH at 7.0 or higher with moderate hardness. In soft, acidic water the shell pits, erodes, and turns dull. Seachem Equilibrium helps if your water is soft.
• Supplemental food: in a very clean tank, drop in an algae wafer or a little Repashy Soilent Green a couple of times a week so it is not left hungry.
• If it flips over: a nerite on its back sometimes cannot right itself. Turn it over gently if you see it upside down for more than a few hours.
• No copper: copper-based medications kill snails. Check labels before dosing any tank that holds them.

Specifications

Compatibility

Pumpkin Striped Nerites are harmless to fish, shrimp, and plants, so the real question is what might bother them.

• Great with: shrimp tanks with Amano Shrimp or Neocaridina, livebearers like the Bumble Bee Platy that share their taste for harder water, small peaceful community fish, and planted tanks. They also mix well with other nerites for a collection of shell patterns, such as the Racetrack Nerite, Batik Nerite, Spiky Nerite, and Pink Lady Nerite.
• Avoid: puffers, most loaches other than kuhlis, crayfish, and large cichlids, all of which eat or harass snails.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• Hikari Mini Algae Wafers when algae runs low
• Repashy Soilent Green, a gel food snails and shrimp both graze
• Seachem Equilibrium for hardness and healthy shells
• Fritz GH Test Kit to confirm your water supports shell growth
• Galapagos Cholla Wood grows the biofilm nerites love to graze

FAQ

Will they take over my tank? No. Nerite larvae need brackish water to develop, so the population stays exactly as many snails as you add.

What are the little white dots on my rocks? Nerite eggs. They are hard, sesame seed sized capsules that will not hatch in freshwater. They are harmless, and you can scrape them off hardscape with a razor blade or algae scraper if they bother you.

Will they eat my plants? No. They graze algae and film off leaves without damaging healthy plants.

Why did my snail leave the water? Nerites naturally climb, and one that keeps leaving can also be signaling poor water quality, so test the tank. Either way, a lid keeps them safe.

Is my snail dead or just resting? Nerites often sit still for a day or two. If it stays closed and does not move for several days, lift it out and check for a bad smell, which is the clear sign it has died.