Malaysian Trumpet Snail

The melanoides, or "Malaysian snail," is a discreet, elegant worker, the only snail that stirs the sand for the great benefit of the aquarium.

This small snail with a pointed shell is probably the most discreet inhabitant of the aquarium.
Indeed, it spends the whole day buried in the substrate (sand or mud), only emerging at nightfall. The few stray individuals seen during the day do not reflect the hundreds that are actually hidden!
Of course, the melanoides can live perfectly well without a substrate to bury itself in, in an aquarium with a bare bottom. But it will then be unable to reproduce, or will do so with difficulty, since it lays its eggs in the substrate. Moreover, its reproduction has a rather rare feature among snails, as the individuals are either male or female and not hermaphrodites.
It breathes with gills, and therefore does not need to come periodically to the surface to breathe, unlike ramshorn snails and bladder snails.
It is completely harmless to plants and all living organisms in your aquarium, as it feeds only on waste and dead tissues.
It is highly sought after by enthusiasts of heavily planted aquariums, because its underground lifestyle means it constantly stirs the substrate. This prevents pockets of fermentation or oxygen-deprived zones from developing.
It is thus an additional element for the health of a natural aquarium.
Its only drawback is that it cannot tolerate cold and therefore cannot survive the winter outdoors.
Its place in a trash pond or basin can only be considered during summer.

Indicative weight: 32g