Blue turbo snail

Celetaia persculpta

Also known as Sulawesi blue turbo snail, Sculptured turbo snail

FreshwaterSnail

Blue turbo snail (Celetaia persculpta) — Maberjay · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 79–86°F (26–30°C)
pH: 7.5–8.5
Adult size: 2.8 in (7 cm)
Minimum tank: 11 gal (40 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Poso, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Family: Viviparidae

Overview

The blue turbo snail is a peaceful, slow-moving grazer from the hot, hard-water lakes of Sulawesi, best suited to a warm tank set up for that region. It spends its time working over rock, wood, and substrate, rasping algae, biofilm, and detritus, so leave plenty of grazing surfaces and mature growth for it. It is not a social animal and does not need a group; one or a few will live quietly among peaceful tankmates. It pairs naturally with the shrimp and snails of the same Sulawesi lakes rather than boisterous fish. Offer algae, biofilm, and sinking vegetable foods, and keep calcium up for shell health. A single snail is fine in a tank of around 40 liters or more.

In the wild

The blue turbo snail is endemic to Lake Poso, one of Sulawesi's ancient lakes in Indonesia, where it grazes hard substrates in warm, alkaline, mineral-rich water. Recreate that with warm water, from about 26 to 30 C, and a hard, alkaline chemistry around pH 7.5 to 8.5. Give it rock and wood to graze over, stable conditions, and good filtration, since it is sensitive to poor water quality. Steady, hard, warm water is the heart of its care.

Good to know

Celetaia persculpta is the only species in its genus, a river snail in the family Viviparidae rather than one of the trumpet-shelled Pachychilidae it is often grouped with. It grows to about 7 centimeters, with a thick, deeply sculptured, conical shell, and its name persculpta means thoroughly carved, for the heavy grooving of the whorls. It is a live-bearer, giving birth to fully formed young, and it reproduces only slowly, so building a colony is hard.

Did you know

It is the only snail in its genus, found nowhere on Earth but a single ancient Sulawesi lake, part of a fauna that evolved in isolation and produced many species that live in just one body of water.