Coming Soon — Black Malaysian Trumpet Snails

The Malaysian Trumpet Snail you already know — in a striking black variant. Black MTS are joining the Jack's Aquatics range, UK bred and mineral supported.

What Are Black Malaysian Trumpet Snails

Black Malaysian Trumpet Snails are a colour variant of Melanoides tuberculata — the same species as the standard MTS already in our range, distinguished by a deep, dark pigmentation throughout the shell and body. The shell retains the same elongated conical structure that makes MTS immediately recognisable, with the characteristic ridged whorls running the length of the shell from apex to aperture.

The black colouration is a naturally occurring variant that has been selectively maintained within controlled breeding populations. It carries no functional difference from standard MTS in terms of behaviour, feeding biology or hardiness — the distinction is primarily visual, though no less significant for that.

Biology and Behaviour

Melanoides tuberculata is a prosobranch gastropod — meaning the gill sits anterior to the heart, a characteristic that distinguishes them from the pulmonate gastropods such as Bladder Snails and Ramshorns. They are livebearers, producing broods of fully-formed juvenile snails rather than laying egg clusters, and are predominantly nocturnal, spending daylight hours buried within the substrate and emerging after dark to feed and move.

This substrate-burrowing behaviour is one of the defining functional characteristics of MTS. As they move through substrate they aerate it, disrupting compacted areas where anaerobic pockets can develop — a genuine functional benefit in a heavily stocked or densely planted system.

Standard MTS vs Black MTS

Standard MTS Lighter shell with banded patterning Same conical shell structure Identical behaviour and biology Already available in our range

Black MTS Deep, dark shell pigmentation Same conical shell structure Identical behaviour and biology Visually distinctive within a tank

What Eats Black MTS

Black MTS share the same predator profile as standard MTS. Their denser, harder conical shell makes them particularly suited to species that benefit from greater shell resistance — especially puffer fish where ongoing beak maintenance is a health requirement rather than just an enrichment option.

• —  Puffer fish — particularly medium to larger species that benefit from harder shell resistance
• —  Clown loaches and other botia species — natural MTS predators in the wild
• —  Predatory cichlids
• —  Freshwater crabs and crayfish
• —  Turtles and terrapins

Why Add Black MTS to Your Rotation

For keepers already using standard MTS as part of a live feed rotation, Black MTS offer an identical functional role with added visual variety. For predator keepers managing beak maintenance in puffer fish, the denser shell structure of MTS — in either variant — provides more substantial grinding resistance than softer-shelled species, supporting healthy beak wear over time.

For those building a diverse and balanced snail-based feeding programme, the combination of Bladder Snails, Ramshorn Snails and both MTS variants covers a meaningful range of shell hardnesses, textures and behaviours within a single rotation.