Anatome helena (Snail Chain Snail)
Anatome helena or the Lettuce-chained snail is a freshwater snail originating from Southeast Asia. The Anatome Helena grows to about 3cm. Their house is black and yellow striped. The aquarium does not have to be big for them.
Price per piece. Minimum order 3 pieces.
Behavior in the aquarium
Anatome Helena is a real hunter. With their siphon in the air, they try to catch a trail of other snails. When another snail is spotted, the chase is started. They cling tightly to their prey with their feet. Their extendable mouth goes in like a kind of trunk in search of meat and the prey is eaten alive. Almost all snails are on the menu. Larger snails are eaten in groups. They like to burrow into the soil. A sandy bottom is therefore preferred.
Water quality
Like many snails, it prefers somewhat harder, slightly alkaline water. It regularly happens that the tip of the house has crumbled and is no reason to panic. Good water parameters are a pH of 6-8 and a hardness of 5-15 dGH. An optimal temperature is between 20-27°C. Oxygenated water with a little exercise is appreciated.
Nutrition
In the aquarium they will mainly feed on other snails. When these are no longer present, all kinds of plant material (algae, dead plant remains, etc.) will also be eaten. Supplementary feeding is possible with excess fish food and food tablets. They leave plants alone.
Extra information
Snail-eating snails reproduce in the aquarium. They only lay 1 egg at a time and this species will not soon become a plague. The fry will crawl into the bottom and will hide there for a long time. The sex difference can be seen by the thicker black stripes in females. Female Anatome Helena's are also somewhat larger and sturdier. It is therefore advisable to keep at least 5 specimens, so that there is a chance that there will be males and females.
They are ideally suited for use in the case of a snail infestation in the aquarium. Also in a planaria outbreak, they will prove to be a welcome aid in containing planaria. This can be especially useful in shrimp breeding aquariums. The disadvantage is that it can also prevent them from eating a shrimp.
Anatome Helena is the perfect solution for a snail infestation in the aquarium!
Anatome Helena properties
| Scientific name |
Anatome Helena |
| Dutch name |
snail-chaining snail |
| Origin |
Asia |
| Size |
approx. 3 cm |
| Temperature |
20-27°C |
| pH |
6-8 |
| GH (hardness) |
5-15 |
| Aquarium size |
from 30L |
| Particularities |
Reproduces in freshwater |
DISCLAIMER: Shipping at your own risk.
We only ship healthy, live snails and pack them as carefully as possible. It is unfortunately not possible to give a living arrival guarantee here. Not on arrival and not in your aquarium in the long term. Preferably pick them up in our store to avoid any risk.
