Pumpkin Nerite Snail
Clithon sowerianum
The Pumpkin Nerite Snail (Clithon sowerianum) is a peaceful snail that's easy to keep. Give it a tank of at least 40 litres (11 US gallons), water held at 72-82°F, and a pH of 7-8.5.
Captive lifespan reflects typical experience in a home aquarium, not maximum recorded age; genetics, sourcing, and care vary.
Natural distribution
Southeast Asia
- East & Southeast Asia
Regional colours match the stocking calculator's origin map.
Pumpkin Nerite Snail Tank Setup
Keep them in at least 40 litres (11 US gallons) with steady water at 72-82°F and a pH around 7-8.5. Healthy shells depend on enough calcium and clean, stable water.
What Do Pumpkin Nerite Snails Eat?
They're grazers, so base their diet on algae, blanched vegetables, and spirulina-based foods rather than high-protein flake. A spotless tank with nothing to graze on leaves them thin and underfed.
Pumpkin Nerite Snail Tank Mates
The Pumpkin Nerite Snail is peaceful, which is the first thing to weigh up when you choose tank mates. Good matches come down to the whole stocking list working together - temperature, tank size, and temperament - not any single label. Before you buy, run your full stocking list through our stocking calculator. It weighs temperament, adult size, and water needs together, which a single species page can't do on its own.
Are Pumpkin Nerite Snails Good for Beginners?
Reasonable early choice after cycling. Buy after the tank has stable ammonia and nitrite readings, not the same weekend you fill it.
Pumpkin Nerite Snail - frequently asked questions
What size tank do Pumpkin Nerite Snails need?
Pumpkin Nerite Snails need a tank of at least 40 litres (11 US gallons). A bigger tank is always easier to keep stable, and gives them more room to settle in and behave naturally.
What water parameters do Pumpkin Nerite Snails need?
Keep them at 72-82°F with a pH of 7-8.5, steady rather than chased to an exact figure. In a cycled tank, ammonia and nitrite should both read 0 ppm, with nitrate kept low through regular water changes.
What do Pumpkin Nerite Snails eat?
Pumpkin Nerite Snails are grazers. Base their diet on algae, blanched vegetables, and spirulina-based foods rather than high-protein flake. Feed small amounts once or twice a day, and remove anything they don't eat.
Are Pumpkin Nerite Snails good for beginners?
Yes - Pumpkin Nerite Snails are a reasonable beginner fish once the tank is cycled and parameters are stable. Add them after ammonia and nitrite read 0 ppm, not the same day you fill the tank.
Building a community? Run the full list through the stocking calculator before you add anything else.
Great tank mates
Chosen from temperament, overlapping temperature/pH bands, plausible minimum tank footprints, and size versus yours in App-aquatic data. Hobby nuance always wins - verify stocking and temperament before purchasing.
Check Pumpkin Nerite Snail against any other fish → Compares water parameters, predation risk, fin nipping and tank size, and draws both at life size.
Fish to avoid mixing with Pumpkin Nerite Snails
These well-known species are commonly sold alongside this fish but are not recommended tank mates - verify before purchasing.
- OscarPredator - Oscar will eat or injure smaller tank mates
- Pea PufferPredator - Pea Puffer will eat or injure smaller tank mates
- Common GoldfishGoldfish - prefer cooler, harder water that tropical fish cannot tolerate
