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 Out of 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 Out of 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 Out of 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.
Explore the Freshwater Planted Tank Guide hub.
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.