The species, easiest first
- 1
Amano Shrimp
Caridina multidentata- Easy
- Shrimp
- Max 2"
- Algae eater
Amanos are the best algae-eating shrimp in the hobby, full stop — a squad of them will mow down hair and thread algae that nothing else touches, and Takashi Amano popularized them for exactly that reason.
$24.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 2
Assassin Snail
Anentome helena- Easy
- Snail
- Max 1"
- Pest control
Assassin snails are the biological fix for a pest snail outbreak: they actively hunt and eat ramshorns, bladder snails, and trumpet snails, and a small group will collapse an infestation within a couple of months.
$10.99 In stockCare profile → - 3
Black Devil Snail
Faunus ater- Easy
- Snail
- Max 3.5"
- Scavenger
The Black Devil is a glossy jet-black spike up to three and a half inches long that bulldozes through substrate eating detritus — dramatic to look at, completely peaceful, and incapable of breeding in freshwater, so you get exactly the number you bought.
$16.99 In stockCare profile → - 4
Blueberry Snail
Viviparus sp.- Easy
- Snail
- Max 1.2"
- Scavenger
Blueberry snails are small blue-grey viviparids that do quiet, useful work: grazing film algae, eating detritus, and — unusually for a snail — filter-feeding particles straight from the water column.
$26.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 5
Cherry Shrimp
Neocaridina davidi- Easy
- Shrimp
- Max 1.5"
- Algae eater
Cherry shrimp are the gateway invertebrate: hardy in ordinary tap-water parameters, constantly grazing biofilm and algae, and able to turn ten shrimp into a few hundred within a year in a stable, predator-free tank.
$24.99 In stockCare profile → - 6
Dwarf Mexican Crayfish
Cambarellus patzcuarensis- Easy
- Crayfish
- Max 2"
- Scavenger
The CPO is the crayfish that breaks the crayfish rules: at under two inches it does not uproot plants, dig craters, or murder tankmates, which makes it the only crayfish that genuinely belongs in a planted community tank.
$19.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 7
Ghost Shrimp
Palaemonetes paludosus- Easy
- Shrimp
- Max 2"
- Scavenger
Ghost shrimp are cheap, transparent scavengers sold mostly as feeders, which is the honest context for their care: they arrive in rough shape from crowded feeder tanks, and losing a few in the first week is normal even when you do everything right.
- 8
Horned Nerite Snail
Clithon corona- Easy
- Snail
- Max 0.6"
- Algae eater
Horned nerites do everything a zebra nerite does in half the size, which makes them the algae eater of choice for nano tanks — small enough to graze between carpet plants and inside tight hardscape without bulldozing anything.
$12.99 In stockCare profile → - 9
Japanese Trapdoor Snail
Cipangopaludina japonica- Easy
- Snail
- Max 2"
- Algae eater
Japanese trapdoor snails are the cold-water workhorse: hardy down to the 50s, happy in unheated tanks and outdoor ponds, and among the longest-lived aquarium snails at five-plus years with good shell care.
$20.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 10
Malaysian Trumpet Snail
Melanoides tuberculata- Easy
- Snail
- Max 1"
- Scavenger
Malaysian trumpet snails are the earthworms of the aquarium: they live buried in the substrate by day, turning and aerating it, and emerge at night to eat detritus and leftover food.
- 11
Mystery Snail
Pomacea bridgesii- Easy
- Snail
- Max 2"
- Scavenger
Mystery Snails are the easiest large showpiece snail to keep, but plan for a 10-gallon minimum: a golf-ball-sized snail produces a surprising amount of waste, and in a 5-gallon that bioload adds up fast.
$11.99 In stockCare profile → - 12
Pom Pom Crab
Ptychognathus barbatus- Easy
- Crab
- Max 1"
- Scavenger
The pom pom crab is the rare crab you can actually keep in a normal aquarium: it is fully aquatic, stays around an inch, and spends its day sweeping food into its mouth with the fuzzy 'pom poms' on its claws instead of menacing tankmates.
$16.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 13
Ramshorn Snail
Planorbella duryi- Easy
- Snail
- Max 1"
- Algae eater
Ramshorns are the classic love-them-or-hate-them snail: tireless consumers of soft algae, dead leaves, and uneaten food, with striking red and pink forms that carry their blood's hemoglobin color through a translucent shell.
$13.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 14
Spixi Snail
Asolene spixi- Easy
- Snail
- Max 1.2"
- Pest control
The spixi snail's claim to fame is unique in the hobby: it eats hydra, the stinging pest that plagues shrimp-breeding tanks, and it does so while being a handsome striped apple snail that stays small.
$18.99 Out of stockCare profile → - 15
White Wizard Snail
Filopaludina martensi- Easy
- Snail
- Max 2.5"
- Scavenger
The White Wizard is a chunky Southeast Asian trapdoor snail with a porcelain-white body that stands out against dark substrate, and unlike its cold-water trapdoor cousins it is fully comfortable in tropical temperatures.
$17.99 In stockCare profile → - 16
Zebra Nerite Snail
Neritina natalensis- Easy
- Snail
- Max 1"
- Algae eater
If you want one animal to erase green spot and diatom algae from glass and hardscape, a nerite is it — no other freshwater snail grazes as hard.
$11.99 In stockCare profile →
Planting the same tank?
Most of these species do their best work in a planted tank. Browse the plant database, or let the finder rank every plant against your exact setup.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best first invertebrate for a new aquarium?
A nerite snail, by a wide margin: hardy, useful from day one against algae, incapable of overpopulating, and safe with plants, bettas, and shrimp. If you want something more active, a small group of cherry shrimp in a planted tank is the classic next step.
What kills beginner snails and shrimp most often?
Three things in order: copper-based fish medications dosed into the same tank, big abrupt water changes that swing chemistry mid-molt, and soft acidic water slowly dissolving snail shells. None of these is hard to avoid once named — check medicine labels, change water in modest amounts, and keep pH at 7 or above for snails.
Do easy inverts still need to be acclimated slowly?
Yes — more slowly than fish. Shrimp especially should be drip-acclimated over an hour or more, because they respond to sudden parameter shifts by molting before the new shell is ready. Snails are tougher but still appreciate a gradual introduction.