Japanese Trapdoor Snail

The Black Japanese Trapdoor snail (Viviparis malleatus) is the preferred species of water gardeners world-wide. This snail is black in color, body and shell. We ship them when they get close to the size of a quarter.Trapdoor snails are one of the few larger varieties that can survive the winter in Northern climates. This snail is a great asset in keeping algae under control as they groom your plants, planting pots and watergarden walls. They also cruise the pond bottom and consume decaying matter such as leaves and fish food. These are live bearing snails. They only breed a couple of times a year so don't expect them to multiply fast like regular egg laying snails. Full grown snails are around 3" long.

Order according to the size of watergarden or pond you have. For ponds and watergardens use at least 1 snail per 3 square feet of pond space. For snails to have a positive effect on algae growth you should have 20 for small watergardens and 50 or more for larger watergardens. Farm ponds should have at least 200 to have any positive effect.

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