When it’s about keeping your aquarium healthy while adding to its visual appeal, baby mystery snails can give tough competition to other species.
And what enhances their appeal further is their occurrence in a variety of interesting color combinations, which we’ll be discussing in detail. So, let’s not waste any more time and begin with this colorful ride!
Types of Mystery Snail Colors
Also known as spike-topped apple snail, these freshwater snails are scientifically known as pomacea bridgesii and are mainly found in South America. What gives rise to their intriguing color variations is the mutation in different genes that bring about the pigmentation of both their body and shell.
So, firstly, we’ll look at the color variations in the different body parts of these snails.
Shell Colors
Interestingly, the shell color of a mystery snail forms the base of its overall color and has four variations, viz. yellow, green, purple, and white (ivory).
What makes this possible is the presence of at least two primary pigments, including the yellow pigment, which is the base, and a brown-reddish to brown pigment.
Body Colors
A mystery snail has at least one primary dark pigment that makes its body either albino (colorless) or dark. But you should also note here that most snails regarded as albino don’t have an entirely white body. Instead, they’re slightly yellowish to greenish, with the color primarily condensed in tiny spots. Based on current theory:
Stripes Or Plain
The shells of mystery snails may have dominant stripes or may also come in a plain color. Furthermore, the stripes can be in different colors, which we’ll discuss in the later sections.
The Basic And Common Mystery Snail Colors
Since there is such a wide variety of colors, it isn’t easy to describe the exact tone. There are lots of common color variations of mystery snails, and each of these types can add an interesting touch to an aquarium or a freshwater tank.
Purple Mystery Snail
This variety is characterized by a light-colored body with a shell having a purple or pink base and no stripes. On a side note, the color of the striped species is relatively brighter.
Ivory Mystery Snail
Though not completely colorless, these are often referred to as albino snails and come with traces of colors that manifest as body spots. An ivory mystery snail can be identified by the color of its shell, which ranges from yellowish to slightly off-white to plain white.
Golden Mystery Snail
The semi-transparent or opaque yellow color of these snails differentiates them from the other varieties. On the other hand, their foot color can vary from yellowish to white.
Jade Mystery Snail
These snails are dark-bodied, while the color of their shell ranges from opaque to transparent yellow. Their availability would depend on whether they’re being sold by a local breeder or company in that region.
Blue Mystery Snail
The best thing about this type is its attractive bluish-black body, which shines through when the shell comes in a semi-transparent color. But it can also be found in a completely white shell, too.
Wild/Black Mystery Snail
The wild type has a dark brown shell that almost seems to be black, which is why it’s often referred to as a black snail. Also, it has a dark body and neat stripes that are brownish to blackish in color.
Dark Striped Olive (Walnut)
This is yet another dark-bodied variety with a greenish shell base and stripes ranging from black or brown to reddish-brown.
The Rare Color Type of Mystery Snail
Now, let’s move on to the comparatively rarer types of mystery snails.
Dark Striped Purple(Blueberry)
Coming with a gorgeous shell that’s either pink or purple in color, this type has a dark body and black or purple stripes.
Red-Brown
These snails have a clear shell and a dark body with reddish-brown stripes similar to the wild type.
Pink Mystery Snail
Another beautiful species is the pink mystery snail which has a white body and reddish-pink shell.
Burgundy (Purple-Gold)
Slightly similar to the striped purple snails, this snail is white-bodied, but its color changes based on the angle at which it’s held to a light source. While it has a deep burgundy color on the sides, the highlighted areas have copper or yellow overtones. Notably, what brings about such versatility in its color is its unique genetics.
Chestnut (Striped Gold)
This variety is also quite attractive, having a brown-colored shell and a light body that’s enhanced with a red tinge at some places.
Light Striped Purple (Pink Version)
This variety comes with a light pink pigment in an inner layer of its shell that has a pink to ivory base and purple stripes.
Dark/Light Plain Purple
These snails either have a dark or light body and a purple or pink shell without any stripes.
The Rarest Color Types Of Mystery Snail
Finally, we’ll take a look at the mystery snail varieties having the rarest colors.
Light Striped Purple (Ivory Version)
Being the rarest among purple mystery snails, this species sports a white or ivory shell with bright to soft purple stripes, which makes it look like striped candies.
Red-White
Having an ivory or white shell base, this snail has a light body and includes brown, purple, or reddish-brown stripes. This often makes it difficult to distinguish from the light striped purple variety.
Olive Mystery Snail
The olive varieties have a green shell and are differentiated based on their body color and the presence or absence of stripes.
Dark Plain Olive
These have a dark body but don’t come with any stripes.
Striped Olive
Donning an all-white body, this type is adorned with black, green, or brown stripes.
Plain Olive
Lastly, the plain variety has a white body bereft of any stripes.
Final Thoughts
Towards the end, here’s a piece of advice to help you choose the right mystery snails for your aquarium. Make sure the seller you’re planning to go for has received good reviews in terms of the health of the snails and the quality of the packaging.
This will tell you whether the source is trustworthy or not.
Also, you should go through my reference list to check the availability of the different varieties at that moment. This way, you can easily make a suitable choice of the color to go for.
So, good luck!
- https://www.applesnail.net/content/genetics/colour_genes/colour_genes.htm
- https://www.angelfire.com/va/myevolution/snails/bridgesii.htm
- http://irshprncsk.blogspot.com/2016/05/mystery-snail-colors.html
