Bladder Snails (Physella acuta)

Category: Freshwater Snails
Scientific Name: Physella acuta
Origin: Originally native to North America and now widespread globally through the aquarium trade
Lighting: Low to Moderate lighting recommended for natural behavior and best viewing
Substrate: Sand or fine gravel substrate suitable for grazing and movement
Size: Juvenile to Adult

Parameters (Freshwater Snail Standard):
GH: 6–12
KH: 2–8
pH: 6.8–8.0

What to Expect with Appearance

Bladder Snails are small thin-shelled snails with a distinctive elongated teardrop-shaped shell that coils to the left. Shell coloration typically ranges from light tan to amber and is semi-translucent allowing internal structures to be faintly visible.

Because of their small size and rapid growth Bladder Snails are often seen actively moving across glass plants and substrate. Juveniles are extremely tiny at birth and grow quickly under favorable conditions.

General Care Behavior and Tank Conditions

Bladder Snails are highly adaptable and resilient. They feed on biofilm algae decaying plant matter and leftover food making them effective cleanup crew members in freshwater aquariums.

They reproduce readily in stable environments and population size is directly tied to available food. Overfeeding will lead to rapid population growth while controlled feeding naturally limits their numbers. They are completely shrimp safe and coexist peacefully with fish and other invertebrates.

Bonus Tip

If you want to control Bladder Snail populations reduce excess feeding and manually remove visible snails rather than using chemicals which can destabilize the aquarium.

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