Home

>

Fish

>

New Pet

>

Marine Snail

Marine Snail Care Sheet

This care sheet includes a variety of marine snail species, including:

  • Nerite snail
  • Turbo snail
  • Astrea snail
  • Cerith snail
  • Bumble bee snail
  • Nassarius snail
  • Banded trochus snail
  • Margarita snail
  • Cowrie snail
marine snail

Overview

Nerite sp., Turbo fluctuosa, Astraea tecta, Cerithium sp., Engina sp., Nassarius sp., Trochus sp., Margarites pupillus. Cowrie sp.

One of the slowest creatures, marine snails are an aquarium’s little cleaning service and help remove algae and detritus from the tank. Not every snail feeds on the same things; there is a snail species to feed on just about every kind of algae, plus some that feed on detritus. Marine snails have a diverse habitat range, from the Arctic to the Antarctic and all the oceans and seas in between.

Table of Contents

Typical appearance and behavior

  • Snails need a lot of room to graze
  • The shells of marine snails are usually a spiral shape and  twist clockwise
  • Snails have gills for breathing in oxygen from the water
  • Marine snails are in the mollusk family, which means they have soft bodies, do not have backbones and typically live in shells
  • Most (not all) have eyes under their tentacles that are fixed and unable to move
  • Marine snails tend to feed from the substrate and from tank surfaces, so wafers or sinking pellets are your best options; however, snails will also eat bits of brine shrimp, fish, scallops and other meat-based foods
  • Some snails stay in the sand, while others will travel all over the tank; because of this, snails are one of the best members of the reef cleanup crew 
  • Most snail species get along well with each other and will frequently work together to clean your tank

Characteristics

Care difficulty Beginner to intermediate, depending on species
Average Life Span 5–25 years, with proper care
Average adult size ½”–24”, depending on species
Diet Herbivorous or omnivorous, depending on species
Minimum habitat size 10+ gallons, depending on species
Water temperature 74–80°F
Specific gravity 1.023–1.025

Habitat

Habitat size

A minimum of 10 gallons is recommended; however, water conditions can change rapidly in smaller water volumes. 

Building your habitat

  • Water health 
    • Provide proper filtration to ensure optimal water quality to help maintain health; depending on species, slow to strong water circulation should be provided to mimic water currents found in the marine snail's natural habitat
    • Stable water quality (pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite) and water temperature are critical to the health of aquatic life
    • If you are unsure of your water quality, bring a sample to Petco for free testing
    • A protein skimmer can help maintain great water quality and high dissolved oxygen levels
    • An aquatic heater should be used to stabilize water temperature, ensuring it does not fluctuate more than +/-2 degrees in a 24-hour period
    • The specific gravity should remain stable; do not allow specific gravity to fluctuate more than +/-0.001 in a 24-hour period
  • Provide rock and décor for daytime hiding places
  • Nassarius snails will need a sand bed to borrow and scavenge food from
  • Live rock can provide a natural food source while also enhancing biological filtrationFeeding

Feeding

A well-balanced marine snail diet consists of algae, leftover food and detritus (decayed matter) in the aquarium. Supplement with dry seaweed or algae wafers if insufficient algae is present.

Marine snail care

  • Water care: Maintaining great water quality with regular water changes and adequate filtration is important to help keep your marine snail healthy
    • Daily: Check filter, water temperature, specific gravity and other equipment
    • Weekly: Check water quality at least once a week
    • Monthly: Change 10–25% of the total volume of water every 2–4 weeks, or as needed; change filter media monthly
  • Copper-based medications are toxic to marine snails
  • Snails are sensitive to high levels of nitrate 
  • Snails require calcium carbonate to build their shells; ensure proper calcium levels are provided
  • If an astrea snail is found upside down, you must turn them upright as they are unable to right themselves and will drown
  • Avoid overcrowded conditions, which are a major cause of stress and disease.

Where to buy marine snails

Marine snails are available for purchase at Petco online and in store; availability varies by location. If visiting your local location, please call ahead to check availability.

Supplies

Tank mates

  • Angelfish
  • Blennies
  • Butterflyfish
  • Cardinals
  • Clownfish
  • Damsels 
  • Dartfish
  • Dottybacks 
  • Dragonets 
  • Gobies
  • Jawfish
  • Reef-safe wrasses
  • Tangs

Introduce new inhabitants to the aquarium gradually.

Health

Signs of a healthy marine snail

  • Snails are usually attached to the aquarium glass, décor or substrate
  • Snail remains upright and the operculum is open and intact

Red flags (if you notice any of these signs, contact your local aquatic specialist or aquatic veterinarian)

  • Snail is upside-down with the operculum closed or upside-down with the foot extended

Common health issues

Little is known about diseases that affect snails; as long as environmental conditions and food supplies are adequate, mollusks are fairly resistant to disease.

FAQs

  • What do marine snails eat? Snail diet varies by species. Some species are herbivores, consuming algae, while others may be omnivores, feeding on detritus, meat and plant matter.
  • What kind of marine snails are there? There are about 30,000 species of marine snails, including turbo, nassarius, trochus, astrea and cerith, to name a few.

Notes and resources

Ask a Pet Care Center associate about Petco's selection of products available for the care and happiness of your new pet. All products carry a 100% money-back guarantee.

Because all aquatic life are potential carriers of infectious diseases, such as atypical mycobacterium and salmonella, always wash your hands before and after handling your aquatic life or habitat contents to help prevent the potential spread of disease.

Pregnant women, children under the age of 5, senior citizens and people with weakened immune systems should contact their physician before purchasing or caring for aquatic life and should consider not having aquatic life as a pet.

Go to the Centers for Disease Control at cdc.gov/healthypets for more information about aquatic life and disease.

The information on this care sheet is not a substitute for veterinary care. If you need additional information, please contact your veterinarian as appropriate.

Filed Under

Sponsored