Turban Snail

Turban Snail (Tectus fenestratus)

Appearance & Behavior

A tall conical shell gives this grazer its distinctive profile. It browses established hard surfaces rather than sifting deep sand.

Quick Care Guide

• Care level: moderate; stable marine conditions and a dependable suitable food supply are essential.
• Adult size: approximately 2–3 inches across the shell, depending on identification and individual.
• Minimum aquarium: approximately 20 gallons as a conservative starting point for one individual, subject to species, adult size, and available food; volume alone does not establish adequate support.
• Diet: primarily herbivorous; algal films and suitable marine algae foods.
• Reef compatibility: generally reef-compatible; consider disturbance and individual behavior.
• Temperature: approximately 72–78°F for suitable tropical stock; confirm source requirements.
• Specific gravity: approximately 1.023–1.025; keep stable and match confirmed source requirements.
• pH: 8.1–8.4.
• Alkalinity: 8–12 dKH; prioritize stable conditions.
• Substrate needs: mature rockwork and other firm surfaces; no deep sand bed required.

Aquarium Setup & Compatibility

Provide a fully cycled marine aquarium with stable salinity, good oxygenation, secure rockwork, and protected equipment intakes. Leave mature grazing surfaces available rather than cleaning every surface at once.

Choose companions that will not crush, extract, or harass snails. Puffers, triggers, predatory wrasses, and some crabs are unsuitable. Hermit crabs may attack snails for food or shells even when spare shells are available. Choose stocking levels by actual food availability and adult needs, not a fixed snail-per-gallon rule.

Reef & Invertebrate Compatibility

Generally leaves healthy coral tissue and typical ornamental invertebrates alone. Grazing across coral or shifting loose frags is still possible, particularly with larger, stronger snails. Secure vulnerable pieces. Algae grazing is not a guarantee of control of a particular pest or nuisance algae.

Feeding

Provide established algal films and suitable soft algae. If natural grazing declines, offer small amounts of appropriate marine algae-based sinking food or unseasoned marine seaweed secured within reach. Verify actual feeding rather than assuming any offered wafer is accepted.

Monitor food access and condition, and avoid competition from an oversized clean-up crew. Remove uneaten supplements before they degrade water quality. Do not promise removal of long tough algae, cyanobacteria, or every kind of surface growth.

Introduction & Long-Term Care

Acclimate carefully to temperature and salinity using a method suited to the species and transport conditions. Avoid abrupt changes. Place the snail upright in suitable habitat where it can establish a secure foothold; never pull an attached animal away forcibly.

Check for overturned snails and gently restore an animal that cannot regain secure footing. Observe movement, attachment, feeding, and shell condition. Resting or hiding can be normal, especially in burrowing or nocturnal species; assess an inactive snail before assuming it has died.

Maintain appropriate calcium and alkalinity through testing and balanced maintenance rather than blind dosing. Persistent inactivity, failure to attach, injury, or shell deterioration calls for investigation of water quality, nutrition, and compatibility. Do not expose snails to copper-based treatments, and confirm that any medication is appropriate for the species. Never use live snails to cycle a new aquarium.