Care
The beautiful Asian Lava snail makes a fascinating addition to the home aquarium. These inquisitive gastropods from the genus Faunus have long, ridged, brown-black conical shells, and the body of the snail can vary in colour from dark grey with white flecks, flecked grey with a red blush, to vividly streaked with bright orange, yellow, or red (as seen here) and anything in between. The eyes are small and set underneath the tentacles on the broad, tactile snout. In the wild, these snails have been found living in both fresh and brackish water, and it is believed that they need slightly saline conditions in order to reproduce. They are great for peaceful community tanks containing small, peaceful species of fish and shrimp that enjoy the same conditions. Avoid keeping them in aquaria that contain loaches, pufferfish, any large/aggressive fish, and any pushy species that will outcompete the snails for food; these snails cannot survive on leftovers alone. Ensure the tank is well filtered/oxygenated and that regular partial water changes are carried out, at the same time carefully siphoning away any mulm that can accumulate from the snail's waste products. Acclimatize them carefully, as you would do for fish, and they will begin to explore their new surroundings when ready; many have reported that they seem to be crepuscular in nature. Provide a sandsubstrate, which is not only softer on the body of the snail as it pulls itself along, but is easier to keep clean compared to gravel. Be sure to supply a variety of low, flat rocks and cobbles for the snails to explore, and avoid any sharp decor. This species is likely to munch on soft-leaved plants, so choose robust greenery, and remember to leave large areas free of vegetation so that the snails can move around with ease. Their rather unique, jerky fashion of locomotion is fascinating to watch, as they have their large shells along behind them. Lava Snails do not particularly enjoy bright lighting so be sure to create numerous shady hidey holes with the arrangement of the decor, and diffuse any strong light with floating plants. Never use treatments containing copper in the snail aquarium.
Feeding
Offer a variety of foodstuffs, including meaty and vegetable fare e.g. sinking catfish pellets, algae/Spirulina wafers and tablets, crushed flake/powder foods, sinking carnivore pellets, sinking granules, cucumber, courgette, blanched spinach etc. Be sure that the snails always receive adequate amounts of food and are not having to resort to scraps/leftovers.
Breeding
These oviparous snails have not been bred in the home aquarium. It is believed that they require brackish water to reproduce as the larvae cannot develop in freshwater.
