Physella acuta
The classic hitchhiker 'pest' snail, almost always arriving uninvited on new plants. It is really a tireless detritivore that clears waste and dead leaves rather than eating healthy plants, and its numbers are a mirror of how much you overfeed. Harmless and genuinely useful, and if a population booms the fix is less food or an assassin snail, not chemicals that foul the tank.
Bladder Snail (Physella acuta) is an aquarium snail in family Physidae, native to Cosmopolitan, widely introduced worldwide. Adults reach 1–1.5 cm; minimum tank 5 L. Target 15–30 °C, pH 7.0–8.0, 6–18 dGH, 3–12 dKH. Shell calcium demand: low to medium. Diet: detritivore / algae grazer, Lives entirely on tank waste: detritus, decaying leaves, leftover food, biofilm and soft algae. Needs no feeding. Numbers simply track how much surplus food is around. Breeding: Hermaphroditic and prolific, a single snail can seed a whole tank. Lays clear jelly egg blobs on glass and leaves. Populations explode with overfeeding and shrink when food is scarce. Algae-eating rating: 2/5. Plant-safe: Yes. Tank mates: Anything peaceful. Deliberately eaten by assassin snails, loaches and pufferfish, which are the usual controls.
Care at a glance
The classic hitchhiker 'pest' snail, almost always arriving uninvited on new plants. It is really a tireless detritivore that clears waste and dead leaves rather than eating healthy plants, and its numbers are a mirror of how much you overfeed. Harmless and genuinely useful, and if a population booms the fix is less food or an assassin snail, not chemicals that foul the tank.
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Part of our complete planted-aquarium guide.
The parameters that decide whether bladder snail fits in your tank.
Physidae
Detritivore / algae grazer
Lives entirely on tank waste: detritus, decaying leaves, leftover food, biofilm and soft algae. Needs no feeding. Numbers simply track how much surplus food is around.
Hermaphroditic and prolific, a single snail can seed a whole tank. Lays clear jelly egg blobs on glass and leaves. Populations explode with overfeeding and shrink when food is scarce.
1 yrs
Low to Medium
Yes
Cosmopolitan, widely introduced worldwide
Cosmopolitan, widely introduced worldwide
Tank-mate safety and the species this one is documented to thrive (or fail) alongside.
Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.
Minimum tank: 5 L. Bladder Snail (Physella acuta) reach 1–1.5 cm as adults.
Target 15–30 °C, pH 7.0–8.0, 6–18 dGH, and 3–12 dKH. Shell calcium demand is low to medium, supplement with cuttlebone or a mineral stone if your water is soft.
Plant safety: Yes. Bladder Snail are detritivore / algae grazer, Lives entirely on tank waste: detritus, decaying leaves, leftover food, biofilm and soft algae. Needs no feeding. Numbers simply track how much surplus food is around.
Tank mates: Anything peaceful. Deliberately eaten by assassin snails, loaches and pufferfish, which are the usual controls.
Algae-eating rating: 2/5. Lives entirely on tank waste: detritus, decaying leaves, leftover food, biofilm and soft algae. Needs no feeding. Numbers simply track how much surplus food is around.
Hermaphroditic and prolific, a single snail can seed a whole tank. Lays clear jelly egg blobs on glass and leaves. Populations explode with overfeeding and shrink when food is scarce.
Typical lifespan: 1 years in a stable, well-maintained tank.
A planted tank is a system. Pair this snail with one entry from each other pillar to plan the whole scape.
