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SnailsPagoda snail | Brotia pagodula care & info
Looking for a peaceful tankmate to keep your (dwarf) shrimp company and add some extra life to your aquarium? The pagoda snail (Brotia pagoluda), an uncommon species originally from Southeast Asia, may be the perfect choice. Peaceful and herbivorous, it will leave its tankmates alone and even help keep the aquarium clean.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about pagoda snail care and keeping this species in your home aquarium!
| Scientific name | Brotia pagodula |
| Common name | Pagoda snail, spiny river snail |
| Difficulty level | Easy |
| Origin | Thailand, Myanmar |
Table of Contents
Pagoda snail appearance & natural habitat
Brotia pagodula is the type species of the genus Brotia, which constists of around 90 different freshwater aquatic snails. It's naturally found in Southeast Asia, namely in Thailand and Myanmar. Here, the pagoda snail apparently only occurs in well-oxygenated and fast-flowing parts of the border river Moei.
It's not surprising this species became popular in the aquarium trade, because it's quite a cool snail to see. Brotia pagodula is characterized by its whorled brown shell, which grows to a maximum size of around 2" and from which several large spikes protrude. The body (or 'foot') is a greyish brown in color with a fine speckling of tan dots.
Did you know? There's quite a bit of variation in terms of shell appearance within wild pagoda snail populations. One 2010 study proposed that this might be due to interbreeding within the genus Brotia. The matter still hasn't been entirely cleared up.
Köhler & Dein (2010)
Pagoda snail aquarium
Because the pagoda snail does reach a size of up to 2", it's not suitable for the smallest nano aquarium set-ups. You can keep one in tanks of around 10 gallons or up, with 5 extra gallons of water volume for every additional snail. Make sure you use a relatively strong filter that produces a good flow level in order to imitate the species' natural habitat. They don't do well in low-oxygen environments!
This species doesn't have many particular demands when it comes to the aquarium décor, but it does like a sandy substrate to sift through. Its natural habitat tends to be on the murky side, so it appreciates relatively dim lighting.
Water parameters
Your pagoda snail aquarium should always be fully cycled, as this species is sensitive to low water quality. You'll have to perform weekly water changes to avoid nitrates from building up.
Another important factor in caring for aquatic snails is that you need to keep in mind the water can't be too soft or acidic. A very low pH can slowly dissolve the calcium in a snail's shell and cause damage in the long run. A lack of minerals like calcium, on the other hand, can make the snail incapable of producing a healthy shell at all. This is why even in a suitable tank, it's often recommended to feed a calcium supplement.
pH: 7-8
Temperature: 70-88 °F
kH: 5-30
Tankmates
The pagoda snail gets along with most tankmates, as long as they favor similar water values and you don't combine the snails with carnivorous fish. Sure, they have their shell and operculum to protect themselves, but they're otherwise pretty defenseless when faced with an attacked like a hungry loach!
Aquatic snails like this one make a perfect choice to add a little extra life to a (dwarf) shrimp aquarium. Their peaceful and herbivorous nature mean they're among the only species that will leave even small and fragile baby shrimp alone.
Pagoda snail diet
The pagoda snail is an omnivore, although it leans strongly towards herbivory. It naturally feeds on detritus, biofilm and algae, but in the aquarium its diet should be supplemented to prevent it from going hungry. You can offer fresh blanched vegetables and sinking plant-based foods like algae wafers.
If your aquarium contains a delicate aquascape, the pagoda snail may not be for you. Although its grazing tendencies can be kept under control with regular feedings, it can still end up damaging delicate aquarium plants if it happens to get hungry!
Breeding pagoda snails
Pagoda snails, like the entire genus Brotia, are viviparous. This means that unlike most snails available in the aquarium hobby, they produce live young rather than laying eggs. This is a trait they share with the genus Tylomelania.
Your aquarium won't be overrun by pagoda snails like with some other aquatic snail species: one study found that each female only had a single juvenile in her brood pouch. Interestingly, it also found that the percentage of females of this species is significantly larger than the percentage of males. We didn't find any way to actually figure out the difference between the two, though, so get at least a few pagoda snails if you'd like to breed.
