Tylomelania sp. - Orange (Young)

Tylomelania sp. “Orange”

A striking Sulawesi rabbit snail known for its bright orange body, dark textured shell and slow livebearing reproduction.

🌋 A Sulawesi Specialist

Tylomelania snails originate from Sulawesi, Indonesia, where many species and forms have adapted to warm, mineral-rich waters.

Orange Tylomelania is one of the most iconic forms in the hobby. Its dark, sculptured shell contrasts beautifully with the bright orange body, giving the snail a bold but natural appearance.

This is not a basic clean-up snail. It is a proper collector species for hobbyists who enjoy unusual freshwater invertebrates and stable, mature aquariums.

🧡 Appearance

Orange Tylomelania have the classic rabbit snail body plan: a long, textured shell and a large, expressive body that moves slowly and deliberately through the aquarium.

Their appearance is built around contrast:

🖤 Dark sculptured shell

🧡 Bright orange body

🐌 Large, deliberate grazing behaviour

🌋 Sulawesi origin

As adults, they can become substantial animals, often reaching several centimetres in length depending on age, line and conditions.

🟡 Slow Reproduction

Unlike ramshorns, bladder snails or many common aquarium snails, Tylomelania reproduce very slowly.

Females do not scatter large egg clutches around the aquarium. Instead, they produce single, well-developed baby snails.

This makes them much easier to manage long-term, but it also means every juvenile matters.

For that reason, we treat Orange Tylomelania as a slow-growing breeding project rather than a mass-produced clean-up crew animal.

🍼 Breeding Behaviour

Tylomelania are livebearing snails.

Females carry developing young internally and release fully formed babies. These juveniles are miniature versions of the adults and begin grazing soon after birth.

Breeding is slow, but very rewarding. A successful baby is a clear sign that the aquarium is mature, stable and suitable for long-term care.

🌿 Behaviour and Tank Role

Orange Tylomelania are peaceful, steady grazers.

They spend much of their time exploring:

🌱 Biofilm-covered surfaces

🍂 Leaf litter

🪨 Stones and hardscape

🪵 Wood

🌿 Mature substrate

They are best understood as display grazers rather than high-speed algae cleaners.

They may nibble at very soft or decaying plant material, but they generally do not damage healthy, established plants when properly fed.

🌡️ Recommended Aquarium Conditions

Orange Tylomelania do best in warm, mature, stable aquariums.

🌡️ Temperature: 26–30°C

💧 pH: 7.5–8.5

🧪 GH: 8–15

🧪 KH: 4–10

☠️ Ammonia: 0

☠️ Nitrite: 0

🌿 Nitrate: Ideally below 20

🪨 Substrate: Sand or smooth gravel preferred

🦠 Tank maturity: Mature, biofilm-rich aquariums strongly recommended

They are generally not suitable for cool, soft, acidic aquariums.

🥬 Feeding

A mature aquarium with natural grazing surfaces is ideal, but Orange Tylomelania should still be fed directly.

Good foods include:

🥬 Blanched vegetables

🌿 Algae wafers

🟢 Spirulina-based foods

🍂 Leaf litter and botanicals

🐌 Quality snail foods

🦐 Shrimp foods in moderation

Calcium and mineral availability are important for shell condition and long-term health.

Uneaten food should be removed before it fouls the water.

⚠️ Important Notes

Avoid keeping Orange Tylomelania in:

❌ Immature tanks

❌ Soft acidic water

❌ Cold aquariums

❌ Tanks with ammonia or nitrite instability

❌ Aquariums with assassin snails

❌ Tanks with puffers, loaches or snail-eating fish

These are slow, valuable animals. They should be treated as specialist Sulawesi invertebrates rather than ordinary utility snails.

🇮🇪 Our Approach

Our Orange Tylomelania are maintained in Cork, Ireland as part of our long-term freshwater invertebrate breeding projects.

We focus on stable feeding, good shell condition and home-bred juveniles before offering regular availability.

These snails are slow, peaceful and unusually charismatic. They are exactly the type of animal we enjoy working with: not flashy in a rushed way, but fascinating over time.

📊 Quick Summary

🧬 Scientific name: Tylomelania sp. “Orange”

🌋 Origin: Sulawesi, Indonesia

🧡 Type: Orange-bodied rabbit snail

🌡️ Temperature: 26–30°C

💧 Water: Warm, hard, alkaline

🍼 Reproduction: Slow livebearer

🌿 Plant safe: Generally yes when well fed

🦐 Shrimp safe: Yes

🐌 Sold as: Individual animals unless otherwise stated

🌡️ Difficulty: Intermediate

🇮🇪 Maintained by: Just Keep Shrimping, Cork, Ireland