List of Freshwater Aquarium Snails.

If you think you only need shrimp, fishes, plants, and substrates in your freshwater aquarium, you are wrong. There are a lot of people who are not aware that a freshwater snail can be a great addition to an aquarium—getting interested? So, why do you need them?

Well, here is why freshwater snails are advantageous.

General Pros
They also serve as cleaners (scavengers), which you can depend on highly. So, with a freshwater snail, you can have help in removing dead animals, algae, and decomposing plants from your aquarium. In short, you have a natural way of keeping the water in your tank clean and free from harmful in your aquarium. But always keep in mind that it needs your cooperation to be successful. Otherwise, the snails can deter the balance in your freshwater aquarium.
In general, the freshwater snails are friendly neighbors. They are very peaceful creatures and will not bother anybody in your aquarium. If you are a fish keeper, you will not have a hard time keeping the snails away from the fish eggs because the eggs seem to be less delicious for snails.
Some snail species are extraordinarily beautiful and can contribute to an impressive display aquarium. Other species listed below stand out with their unique and exotic shapes and faces.
Freshwater snails will benefit shrimp tanks. Even more, they will help you to increase shrimplets survival rate (read my article about it)!
Their waste acts as a great plant fertilizer.
They are generally fairly easy to care for. Most types of aquarium snails are hardy and will thrive in a wide range of conditions. Some of them can even survive in colder pond climates.

General Cons
However, there are also drawbacks to snail keeping.

The first question that will probably pop in your mind is, “Will they eat all my plants out?”. Unfortunately, some snail species eat plants with great pleasure. Therefore, it will not be a good idea to keep them in planted tanks. Of course, you can distract them with blanched vegetables but …not for long.
Some aquarium snails can breed prolifically. Lots of snails in the tank will produce too much bio-load (waste). As a result, it can disrupt the nitrogen cycle in your tank (ammonia spikes). So, you could have a problem on your hands. In addition, overcrowding can lead to illness and even death for your pets.
Sometimes small aquarium snails can get into your filter intake. It can harm them and damage the filter as well. Therefore, ideally, you need some kind of protection (covering the openings). However, if you are using sponge filters there is nothing to worry about.
Below is a list of the most popular freshwater aquarium snails. This article will help navigate you through the pros and cons for each snail species. In addition, I will provide links to articles with deeper information into individual care.
Note: In this list, I did not include species that are very hard or nearly impossible to find nowadays (for example, White Wizard Snail, Hairy snails, Theodoxus snails, Chopstick Snail, Black Military Helmet snail, Marbled Limpet Nerite snail, or Asolene spixi but you can always read my guides about them).

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