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Brown Turbo Snail

Turbo bruneus

A hardy herbivorous marine turbo snail with a mottled brown shell. It is outstanding at scraping nuisance algae and diatoms from live rock and glass.

Taxonomy

Class:Gastropoda

Order:Trochida

Family:Turbinidae

Subfamily:Turbininae

Genus:Turbo

Species:Turbo bruneus

Formerly known as:Turbo brunneus

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Water Temperature

22 - 28 °C

pH Value

8.1 - 8.4

Water type

Marine

Invertebrate type

Freshwater snail

Adult size

4 cm

Minimum group

>= 1

8 - 12 dKH

Ecological role

Herbivore

Species description

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Widely distributed across the tropical Indo-Pacific region, from the coast of East Africa and the Red Sea to Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and various islands of the central Pacific. It inhabits shallow marine waters, rocky reefs, tide pools, and seagrass beds.

Taxonomy: Belongs to the class Gastropoda, family Turbinidae, and genus Turbo. The officially accepted scientific name is Turbo bruneus (Röding, 1798), though the misspelling 'Turbo brunneus' is common in the hobby. It is characterized by its heavy, calcified shell and operculum.

Social Behavior: Completely peaceful and harmless. It is a slow-moving grazer that spends its time crawling over substrate, rocks, and glass. Mostly active at night, though it will forage during the day if algae is abundant. It does not bother other tank inhabitants.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The shell is thick and conical, showing a mottled brown color with cream, grey, or dark greenish markings. The operculum (trapdoor) is thick, calcified, and round, often white and green (known as a cat's eye). There is no visible sexual dimorphism.

Care, breeding and tankmates

Tank Setup: Best suited for established marine aquariums of at least 50 liters (12 gallons). Requires sturdy live rock structures that can support the snail's weight without collapsing. Small corals should be glued down, as these snails can easily bulldoze loose items.

Diet and Feeding: A strict herbivore. It feeds on film algae, diatoms, hair algae, and cyanobacteria. In clean tanks with low algae growth, they must be supplemented with dried seaweed (nori) attached to a veggie clip to prevent starvation.

Water Quality: Marine parameters must remain stable: density 1.021-1.025, temperature 22-26°C (71-79°F), and pH 8.1-8.4. High calcium levels (400-450 ppm) and adequate alkalinity are required to allow shell growth and prevent shell erosion.

Compatibility and Tankmates: 100% reef-safe. Compatible with peaceful fish, corals, and other invertebrates. Avoid keeping with aggressive hermit crabs that may kill the snail to steal its heavy shell for a home.

Aquarium Breeding: Broadcast spawners. They release eggs and sperm into the water column. The larval stage is pelagic and rarely survives home filtration, but occasional self-population can occur in large, established tanks.

Risks and Diseases: Very sensitive to copper treatments and high levels of nitrate. A major risk is falling upside down on flat sand; they often cannot turn themselves over and will die of exhaustion or predator attacks if not assisted.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Widely distributed across the tropical Indo-Pacific region, from the coast of East Africa and the Red Sea to Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and various islands of the central Pacific. It inhabits shallow marine waters, rocky reefs, tide pools, and seagrass beds.

Origin

Tropical oceans and reefsAfrica and MadagascarSouth and Southeast AsiaAustralia, New Guinea, and Oceania

Invertebrate profile

Diet: Algae eater
Ecological role: Herbivore
Shock sensitivity: High
Calcium and minerals: High
Molting: Shell growth
Reproduction: Oviparous
Compatibility & tankmates: With caution

SeaLifeBase

Window to the official scientific data of the species

Data synced on: 06/15/2026

Scientific Parameters & Models

Resilience: High (less than 15 months)

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.

Related species

Recommendations grouped by close relatives, companion choices, and similar care.

Variants and close relatives

Same atlas type, nearby scientific identity, genus, or family.

Chestnut Turbo Snail

Turbo castanea

Species description

Care, breeding and tankmates