Family: Viviparidae
Chinese Mystery Snail — a large live-bearing native cleaner. Shell reaches 5–7 cm; keep at 18–28 °C, hardy and undemanding.
Cipangopaludina chinensis is a Viviparidae freshwater snail, the Chinese Mystery Snail — a large, live-bearing native of China's waters. In the aquarium it stays a peaceful, hard-working algae and detritus cleaner. Plan on a 5–7 cm shell at 18–28 °C; it gives birth to live young, so a single specimen prevents any population explosion.
Difficulty: easy. Peaceful — safe with any community fish. Keep singly to control reproduction.
Set the heater to 18–28 °C and avoid swings. pH 6.5–8, GH 6–18 dGH suit it.
Full size is 5–7 cm. Minimum tank: 40 L, with open swimming space along its bottom — cruising hardscape and glass habits.
Grazes algae and detritus; an excellent glass cleaner. Feed two small meals a day rather than one large one.
Peaceful — safe with any community fish; keep singly to control reproduction. Good company: Robust native community fish — Tolerates the same water, Large peaceful goldfish — Shares the cool-hardy niche. Keep away from Loaches and pufferfish — Specialist snail predators, Very tender plant-only scapes — May nibble new shoots.
Comes from China — Yangtze and southern watersheds; introduced widely: rivers, lakes and rice paddies with soft sediment. Expect still to gentle current and tolerates low oxygen well.
Live-bearing — gives birth to a few fully-formed young at a time. No practical external difference.