Cappuccino Spike Snail
Faunus ater var. tricolor
The Cappuccino Spike Snail is a robust and, above all, very beautiful species of snail.
- pretty and easy to care for
- brown to cream colored housing
- no reproduction in fresh water
1 in stock
Important data
Product description & details
The Cappuccino Spike Snail, Faunus ater, is a species of snail that is widespread in Southeast Asia and occurs, among other places, in India, Thailand, China, Indonesia and the Philippines. There it occurs in estuaries of brackish water and lives in both freshwater and brackish water. Faunus ater is the only species that belongs to the genus Faunus. The Cappuccino Spike Snail is a color variant of this, so not an independent species. Typical and eponymous for the Cappuccino Spike Snail is the smooth and up to 8cm long shell, which has a coffee-brown color at the front, becomes increasingly lighter towards the tip and finally becomes white.
Care in the aquarium
As long as the Cappuccino Spike Snail’s basic needs are taken into account, it is easy to care for and robust. Due to its size, it should be kept in an aquarium that holds at least 54 liters or has an edge length of 60cm. In its natural habitat, the water has high temperatures of around 25-30°C and often brackish water conditions, i.e. a slightly higher salt content. Nevertheless, the naturally very adaptable snail can easily be kept in a freshwater aquarium. The water should have a pH value between 6.7 and 8.5 and may be relatively soft to hard (up to ~22°dGH). However, as with most species of snails, medium to hard water is ideal, as the shell can be damaged if the water is too soft. The water temperature should never fall below 22°C and ideally should be 25-30°C. A soil substrate that is not too coarse such as sand, soil or fine gravel should be preferred, as the Cappuccino Spike Snail likes to burrow into it.
Feeding
The Cappuccino Spike Snail feeds mainly on dead plant parts (healthy plants are not eaten), algae and bacterial films and can also be fed in the aquarium with food tabs, snail or shrimp food.
Sexual characteristics and breeding
Faunus ater has separate sexes, but the gender differences cannot be detected from the outside. Reproduction is not possible in fresh water because the snail larvae require sea or brackish water.