Mexican Turbo Snails are a popular choice for saltwater aquarium owners looking to keep algae under control. These little guys are amazing algae eaters and can really help keep your tank clean.
Algae Control and Diet
One of the reasons people add a turbo snail to their saltwater tank is for algae control. Turbo snails are effective against nuisance algae like hair algae, film algae, and turf algae. They may also eat Caulerpa, Dictyota, and red turf algae.
You may want to supplement your turbo snail’s diet with edible macro algae, such as seaweed sheets that you can buy at a pet store.
Care and Considerations
Turbosnails are hardy and can thrive in normal aquarium water, as long as you keep nitrate levels under 40 ppm.
How many snails you keep in your tank depends on the tank size. For example, in a 5- to 10-gallon tank, you might only want to keep one snail.
A couple of things to keep in mind: Turbosnails can sometimes dislodge rocks that aren’t secured. And you’ll want to avoid coral pest-control dips when you’re keeping turbosnails.
Mexican Turbo Snail Size and Availability
- These snails grow to about 2.5 inches (60mm) in size, but are usually sold at about 75% of their adult size.
- They are usually available on a seasonal basis, but may be harder to find in the summer months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are turbo snails aggressive?
Nope, not at all! Turbo snails are super peaceful members of the clean-up crew and won’t bother any of your other tank inhabitants. They’re strictly herbivores, focused on munching algae, not nipping at fish or corals. You might see them bulldozing around a bit, but it’s just them doing their job, not being bullies.
Do turbo snails reproduce in a tank?
It’s highly unlikely that you’ll see turbo snails successfully reproduce in your home aquarium. The process requires very specific conditions that are difficult to replicate in a closed system. They release eggs and sperm into the water column, requiring a large, stable environment for fertilization and larval development. Even if they do spawn, the larvae are extremely delicate and have specific dietary needs, making survival past the larval stage in a typical reef tank challenging.
Because of this, you don’t need to worry about a turbo snail population explosion. If you need more, you’ll need to buy them.
Conclusion
Mexican Turbo Snails are a great way to control algae in a reef tank. Just remember to secure your rockwork and follow the stocking guidelines to keep your snails – and your tank – healthy and thriving.