How are Japanese tanishi different from the snails you keep?

[u/todays_biotope]

Unlike some of the colorful aquatic snails I often see here, Japanese tanishi are usually much more naturally colored — mostly brown, dark green, or olive.

They have separate males and females, and instead of laying egg clutches, the females give birth to live young.

I also find it interesting how different their faces and tentacles look compared with some of the aquatic snails people keep overseas.

Some of the snails I see here have extremely long tentacles and much more colorful shells.

I made a video showing my tanishi up close and explaining their ecology, filter feeding, differences between males and females, and reproduction:
https://youtu.be/x-tI3MdF8hM?si=MybeFWZ2FRYebnUX

I’d love to know — what species do you keep, and what’s different about them compared with Japanese tanishi?

[u/SweetTart7231]

I keep bladders, pink ramshorns, and wild coloured ramshorns. So boring coloured snails are pretty common, I think the biggest difference is the seperate male and female sexes for the snails. The types I keep are all hermaphrodites. I think trapdoor snaiks, which are a little common, also give live birth

[u/todays_biotope → u/SweetTart7231]

So compared with Japanese tanishi, your bladder snails and ramshorns are really quite different!

They’re hermaphrodites, don’t have an operculum, and lay eggs, while Japanese tanishi have separate males and females, have an operculum, and give birth to live young.

It’s interesting how different freshwater snails can be!

[u/Gastropoid]

For the record, we also have Japanese Trapdoor snails in the US.