Not furry either, still lovely.
Astraea Snail
Lithopoma tectum
Also called Astraea turbo snail, West Indian starsnail, Astraea tecta
From Western Atlantic: the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lesser Antilles and off Brazil, in shallow water from 0-10 m.1
At a glance the quick version
LiveAquaria lists a maximum of 1 in (about 2.5 cm) for aquarium specimens; Wikipedia gives a maximum shell length of 63 mm in the wild.
Looks how to spot one
Solid cone-shaped shell
A tall, cone-shaped shell with about six and a half whorls and wavy folds running down it. Colours range from olive green in aquarium stock to reddish orange with white and olive marks; some shells have points that give a star-like outline.12
Personality what they are like
Peaceful and unhurried, spending its time cleaning algae off rocks and glass.2
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A steady grazer over rock and glass; it likes an established tank with hiding spots.2
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Rated easy. It struggles to turn itself over if it lands upside down, so check and right any snail on its back. Keep nitrate low and avoid copper-based medications.2
Home where they are happiest
An established marine reef aquarium with algae to graze and places to shelter. LiveAquaria gives 72-78 °F (about 22-26 °C), pH 8.1-8.4, dKH 8-12 and specific gravity 1.023-1.025. No minimum tank size was given by the sources.2
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A herbivore that eats hair algae, cyanobacteria and diatoms. Offer dried seaweed if algae runs short.2
Company who they like around
Peaceful with fish, corals and other invertebrates; usually kept as part of a mixed clean-up crew.2
The story where it all began
Lightfoot described this snail in 1786. Over two centuries it picked up nearly twenty other names across genera such as Astraea, Trochus and Turbo, before settling in Lithopoma.1
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It eats a hair algae strand right down to the base, which slows how fast the algae grows back.2
- 2
Some shells grow small points that give them a star-like outline from above.2
- 3
Its common name comes from an old genus name, Astraea, which is no longer the accepted one.1
- 4
It has collected nearly twenty scientific synonyms since it was first described.1
Recognised by the official bits
- Taxonomy (via Wikipedia)
- Described by Lightfoot in 1786; now placed in Lithopoma (family Turbinidae). Many older names such as Astraea tectum are synonyms, which is why the hobby still calls it the Astraea snail.1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Astraea Snail. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingDepends on species, many feed from the light and the watervaries
- Salinity checkevery week
- Water testevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Light checkevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at support@furrydiary.app and we will fix it.
- Lithopoma tectum (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for names, synonyms, range, depth, size, shell description, taxonomy
- Astraea Turbo Snail, LiveAquaria liveaquaria.comused for care level, water parameters, diet, colour, behaviour
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.