Phylum — Mollusca.
Class — Gastropoda.
Superfamily — Cerithioidea.
Family — Thiaridae.
Genus — Melanoides.
Melanoides tuberculatus, tuberculata [O.F. Müller, 1774] — Red-rimmed melania.
Family Thiaridae. “Malaysian Trumpet snail”, “Live Bearer snail”. The distribution range of Melanoides is very extensive. They can be found in almost all of Africa – from Morocco to Madagascar, in Asia – from Turkey to Malaysia, and in Australia. Due to their high adaptability, Melanoides constantly colonize new regions. Mollusks of the genus Melanoides belong to the family Thiaridae of the class of gastropods (Gastropoda). The frequently encountered name Melanoides tuberculata, taking into account international nomenclature rules, is incorrect, because names ending in the suffix -oides are fundamentally masculine nouns. Therefore, the species name corresponds to a masculine ending (M. tuberculatus).
Traditionally, only one snail species, Melanoides tuberculatus, is mentioned. But in reality, it is represented by at least two other species: Melanoides riqueti and Melanoides granifera. In specialized literature, these snails can be found under the names Tarebia granifera or Tarebia laterilia. In addition, there are also Philippine mollusks Melanoides turricula. Compared to the previous species, the brown melania has a dark-colored shell and is noticeably shorter. Moreover, this mollusk mostly crawls on plants and does not burrow into the substrate. An unpretentious and rapidly reproducing species. In an aquarium with plants, the brown melania does not experience a lack of food, scraping algae and biofilm off the leaves.
The shell is very durable, hard to the touch, elongated, acute-conical, with a diameter at its widest part – near the aperture – of about 7-10 mm and a length of 27-35 mm. From 7 to 12 moderately curved whorls increase evenly. Its surface sculpture is represented by coarse radial ribs and finer spiral striation. Older snails often lack the apex of the shell due to mechanical damage or low water hardness. The main color is gray mixed in various proportions with greenish, olive, and brownish tones with purple longitudinal stripes arranged in a spiral along the sutures between the whorls.
The spirals of the shell near the aperture are wider and more contrasting. Reddish-brown stripes oriented, as a rule, parallel to the axis of the shell are clearly visible on them. The length, width, color of the stripes, and the pattern they form are individual. Occasionally, snails are found in which the coloration of the first one or two whorls fundamentally differs from the coloration of the others. Such specimens look very decorative, especially when it comes to a combination of dark and light fields. The body in most cases is gray, light beige, or brown with yellowish spots. The snail’s foot is very short. Eyes are situated at the base of the thin tentacles. In general, the species is highly variable in form. There are several subspecies as well as dwarf forms.
Melanoides are usually transferred from one aquarium to another along with vegetation. Preventing such migration is very problematic: spotting (even with a magnifying glass) newborn melania in the thick of a powerful root bunch of a water plant is very difficult. It is even harder to detect them in a mass of gravel or pebbles. To reliably free the substrate from mollusks, radical measures such as roasting or boiling will be required, and it is not always possible to carry them out, at least when dealing with large volumes. Even if only one specimen gets into your aquarium, get ready for the fact that after some time you will have a whole herd of them there. These snails are hermaphrodites and multiply at a crazy speed.
This snail is viviparous. Females reproduce without fertilization (in the absence of a male) – descendants are genetically identical to the mother. Therefore, exclusively females are born (since they are clones of the mother). Birth occurs in most cases between nightfall and midnight. The babies are born muscular, measuring 1 to 2 mm. At birth, the young already have 4 to 6 shell whorls and a height of 1.5 to 2 (maximum 4.3) millimeters. After leaving the mother, the young find food immediately on their own. Females become capable of reproduction at a body length of 10 mm. Depending on the size of the female, offspring are born at a body length of 2 cm – 1 baby; 2.5 cm – 1-2 babies; 3 cm – 2-5 babies.
However, they are extremely useful. They lead a bottom-dwelling lifestyle or burrow into the substrate, loosening it, providing access to oxygen, preventing the appearance of anaerobic zones, thereby protecting the substrate from rotting and the formation of hydrogen sulfide in it. Melanoides are especially active at dusk. They eat food scraps and fish excrement deep within the substrate. And this is an excellent prevention of many infectious diseases in fish. Plant roots are not damaged in the process. They spend most of their time in the substrate, digging through it in search of food, which certainly benefits the plants.
The basis of the diet of Melanoides consists of lower algae, semi-decomposed organics, etc., meaning these snails are typical detritivores. The mollusks feed not only on algae and food scraps, but also on protozoa, filtering the water well, so the water in an aquarium with Melanoides is always clean. Melanoides do not touch living plant tissues and, accordingly, do not damage roots.
In search of food, they actively scurry across the bottom surface and delve into its thickness, provided that the substrate is sufficiently loose and not compressed by stones and dense tangles of higher vegetation roots. Mollusks cannot burrow into a substrate made of excessively large pebbles. However, one should not overpopulate the aquarium with these mollusks. Due to a lack of food in the substrate and oxygen in the water, they begin to climb up the glass, blocking the view of the aquarium.
They grow quite slowly. They add 5 mm to their length per month. Very hardy. They have a high tolerance to various water parameters when kept in an aquarium. They thrive in very soft to hard water at a pH of 5 to 8.5. These viviparous snails cannot live in overly soft water because they need lime to build their shells. However, they begin to reproduce already at 4-6 degrees of hardness. They withstand a fairly wide range of temperatures (from 18 to 28°C), salinity (up to 20 ppm), and are practically indifferent to water hardness, active reaction, and other chemical parameters.
Perhaps the only factor of fundamental importance for Melanoides is the concentration of dissolved oxygen. With poor water quality and substrate rotting, sharp pH fluctuations, deterioration of aeration and water oxygenation, especially at night, they leave it en masse and appear in large numbers on the walls and other objects. Thus, this species is also useful because it signals unfavorable phenomena occurring at the bottom and in the bottom layer when it crawls up the plants and aquarium glass. They live from 2.5 to 3.5 years.
Identification: Red-rimmed melania — Melanoides tuberculatus.
Melania, Melanoides granifera, maculate, praemorsa.
Viviparus, Viviparus viviparous, Viviparus contectus. 
