Crown Thorn (Clithon Corona)

Crown Thorn, Corona Snail, Thorn Nerite Snail

Occurrence

In natural conditions, this snail inhabits rivers, streams, canals, estuaries and river deltas in New Guinea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Taiwan. It is a freshwater species.

External appearance

This snail comes in various color variations (most likely these are different species). It is characterized by protrusions from the shell (something like spikes or „horns”), which act as a defense mechanism against natural predators. The spikes are randomly located and can also injure human skin. The shell is usually yellow with dark brown elements - usually a thicker or thinner line wrapping spirally around the whole shell. Body is grey.

Disposition

This is a calm snail that does not disturb other aquarium inhabitants (fish and shrimp). It is active, but moves slowly. It spends most of its time attached to the surface, from which it scrapes food. It does not eat plants, it may gently dig the substrate. Its small size allows it to reach, as it would seem, the least accessible areas of our tank. It is very meticulous and leaves every surface perfectly clean. It sometimes leaves the tank, but a longer stay outside the water leads to its death. The reasons for the escapes of these snails may be poor water quality, too little oxygen or food.

Aquarium

When choosing a tank for our snail, we primarily focus on the size of its bottom surface - the larger, the better. The aquarium's design doesn't matter much, we can put plants, stones, rocks (with gentle edges), roots etc. in it. All hiding places should be designed so that our pet does not get stuck in them. The substrate should be soft, light scattered, not too intense. A tight aquarium cover, good filtration and regular partial water replacements (snails sensitive to poor water quality and insufficient oxygen) are necessary. In order to increase the pH of the water, we can add shells, crushed corals or limestone rocks. When placing snails in the aquarium, never drop them freely to the bottom – it threatens to damage their shells.

Reproduction

Oviparous species, often lays white capsules with eggs in the aquarium (each capsule holds about 30 eggs). Eggs are laid especially when the environment in which the snail is abundant in food. It happens that larvae hatch from these eggs, but they cannot survive in fresh water. In natural conditions, the larvae are carried by the water current to brackish river estuaries, where their food is sea plankton. After going through all transformations, fully formed snails return to higher parts of the river. These snails are of separate sexes, but distinguishing a female from a male is difficult, if not impossible. Fertilization occurs internally.

Food

This is a herbivorous species, whose main source of food is algae (it feeds on all species). It does not eat live and healthy plants or mosses. If it reaches for them at all, it means it is starving. Therefore, its diet should be enriched with dry, frozen or fresh plant products.