Brunneus Turbo Snail (Turbo brunneus) Care Guide
Turbo brunneus is a small Indo-Pacific turban snail with a glossy brown shell, kept in warm reef tanks as a hardy algae grazer.
Overview
Turbo brunneus is a small marine turban snail in the family Turbinidae. It has a rounded, conical brown shell with a glossy, polished surface and is sometimes called the brown dwarf turban or little burnt turbo. The species is herbivorous and grazes algae from hard surfaces.
Taxonomy
- Family: Turbinidae
- Subfamily: Turbininae
- Genus: Turbo
- Scientific name: Turbo brunneus
- Note: WoRMS lists the spelling Turbo brunneus as an unaccepted variant of the accepted name Turbo bruneus (Röding, 1798), originally described as Lunatica brunea
Habitat
The species is recorded from the Red Sea, the central Indo-Pacific and the western Pacific, including East India, the Philippines and Western Australia. It occurs from the intertidal zone to about 30 m depth, typically 5 to 10 m, on coral reefs, rocky shorelines and seagrass beds, sealing itself in the shell to survive exposure.
Description
The shell is roughly 20 to 50 mm long with a rounded conical shape and a pointed vertex, brown and glossy. Like other turbinids it bears a calcareous operculum that closes the aperture for protection.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 60 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8-12
- Lifespan: 1-3 years
Diet
Turbo brunneus is herbivorous, using its radula to feed on seaweed and film algae. In reef aquaria it grazes diatoms, film and filamentous algae continuously; supplemental feeding is advisable when natural algae are depleted.
Compatibility
It is a peaceful, reef-safe grazer compatible with most reef fish and corals. Triggerfish and pufferfish should be avoided as they prey on snails.
Breeding
The species is dioecious with free-swimming larvae, so it does not reproduce successfully in closed aquaria.