Description

🐌 Banded Trochus Snail — Description & Care Guide

📌 Scientific Name: Trochus sp.

📌 Common Names: Banded Trochus Snail, Trochus Snail, Top Crown Snail

📌 Origin: Indo-Pacific region, particularly Indonesia and the Philippines

📌 Type: Marine Herbivorous Snail

🔍 Description

• Appearance:

  • Conical shell with black, white, or burgundy spiral bands

  • Shell size: up to 1–1.5 inches (2.5–4 cm)

  • Smooth texture with a flat base and pointed tip

• Movement: Active for a snail; often seen on glass, rock, or sand

🧪 Aquarium Care

🏠 Tank Size

• Minimum: 10 gallons

• Stocking suggestion: 1 snail per 5–10 gallons (depending on algae levels)

🌡️ Water Parameters

• Temperature: 72–78°F (22–26°C)

• pH: 8.1–8.4

• Salinity: 1.023–1.025 SG

• Ammonia/Nitrite: 0 ppm — sensitive to poor water quality

🧬 Behavior & Role

• Temperament: Totally peaceful

• Reef Safe: ✅ 100% — won’t harm corals or other inverts

• Main Benefit: Algae control — eats:

  • Film algae (green and brown)

  • Diatoms

  • Green hair algae (to some extent)

  • Biofilm on glass and rocks

• Self-righting: One of the few snails that can flip itself over if it falls upside down — unlike Astrea snails

• Active both day and night

🍽️ Diet & Feeding

• Diet: Herbivore

• Will graze on algae and biofilm

• In low-algae tanks, supplement with:

  • Nori (seaweed sheets)

  • Algae wafers

  • Blanched vegetables (spinach, zucchini)

🪸 Tank Compatibility

• Safe with:

  • All reef-safe fish

  • Corals

  • Other inverts (including shrimp and snails)

• Avoid:

  • Predatory species like certain wrasses, puffers, or crabs that may nip at or eat snails

✅ Pros

• Excellent algae grazer

• Hardy and long-lived

• Can flip itself over (rare and valuable trait!)

• Attractive shell pattern

• Peaceful and reef-safe

⚠️ Cautions

• Sensitive to copper and sudden salinity changes

• May starve if algae levels are too low without supplemental feeding

• Reproduces in tanks occasionally, but larvae are rarely viable without dedicated breeding setups