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Chestnut Turbo Snail

Turbo castanea

A small herbivorous marine turbo snail with a chestnut-brown, bumpy shell. It is highly efficient at cleaning algae from live rock and aquarium glass.

Taxonomy

Class:Gastropoda

Order:Trochida

Family:Turbinidae

Subfamily:Turbininae

Genus:Turbo

Species:Turbo castanea

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Water Temperature

22 - 28 °C

pH Value

8.1 - 8.4

Water type

Marine

Invertebrate type

Freshwater snail

Adult size

3 cm

Minimum group

>= 1

8 - 12 dKH

Ecological role

Herbivore

Copper sensitivity

High

Species description

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic, from North Carolina and Florida, through the Gulf of Mexico, to Brazil. Inhabits shallow rocky reefs and seagrass beds.

Taxonomy: Member of the family Turbinidae. Features a globose, top-shaped shell measuring about 2.5-3.5 cm in size. The shell surface is sculpted with spiral cords of small, rough nodules. Grows to 3 cm.

Social Behavior: Peaceful, primarily nocturnal, and strictly herbivorous. Spends the night grazing over live rock and glass surfaces. Cannot easily right itself if it falls upside down on loose sand.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Shell color varies from chestnut-brown, reddish-brown, to dark brown, often marbled or flecked with white and gray patches. Operculum is greenish-white. No visible sexual dimorphism.

Care, breeding and tankmates

Tank Setup: Suitable for reef aquariums of 10-12 gallons or larger. Requires stable live rock structures with ample surface area for grazing. Avoid open sand expanses without rock support.

Diet and Feeding: Strictly herbivorous. Consumes green hair algae, diatoms, cyanobacteria, and film algae. Supplement with dried seaweed (nori sheets) if natural algae is depleted.

Water Quality: Stable reef parameters. Salinity SG 1.021-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4, temperature 22-28°C. Highly sensitive to copper treatments and sudden osmotic shocks.

Compatibility and Tankmates: 100% reef-safe. Excellent member of the clean-up crew (CUC). Compatible with peaceful fish and corals. May be targeted by hermits seeking replacement shells.

Aquarium Breeding: Broadcast spawner. Reproduction in home aquariums is extremely rare as pelagic larvae do not survive standard filtration systems.

Risks and Diseases: Starvation in overly clean aquariums. Death from being flipped over on sand; must be manually turned upright. Shell erosion in aquariums with low pH.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic, from North Carolina and Florida, through the Gulf of Mexico, to Brazil. Inhabits shallow rocky reefs and seagrass beds.

Origin

Tropical oceans and reefsExtra-Amazon South AmericaCentral America and CaribbeanNorth America

Invertebrate profile

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

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.

Brown Turbo Snail

Turbo bruneus

Species description

Care, breeding and tankmates