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Peaceful; safe with shrimp and small fish.
156 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful; safe with shrimp and small fish.
Algae wafers, vegetables and biofilm.
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Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Live-bearing · Moderate
Live-bearing (viviparous) with separate sexes; females give birth to fully formed young, so both sexes are needed. Breeding in aquaria is slow.
Keep a group.
20 L tank with hard water.
Warm stable water.
One fully formed baby snail at a time, every few weeks (single hobby source).
Young look like adults.
The only species in its genus, this river snail lives only in Lake Poso on Sulawesi. It has a thick, deeply grooved, dark grey to brown shell (about 2.5-5 cm) and a yellow-orange or dark body, and sifts fine sand for food. Collection for the aquarium trade is a conservation concern.
This snail was described by Paul and Fritz Sarasin in 1897 during their pioneering studies of Sulawesi. It entered the hobby as the 'Sulawesi fire snail' because of its striking red body.
First described by Paul & Fritz Sarasin in 1897.
17 facts checked with sources
Accepted in MolluscaBase (AphiaID 1293453), authority (P. Sarasin & F. Sarasin, 1897); original name Vivipara persculpta. Freshwater snail. Common-name flag: references call it the 'blue turbo snail' or 'blueberry snail'; the legacy names 'Sulawesi fire snail' and 'bumblebee snail' were not found in any source for this species and may lead to mix-ups with other Sulawesi snails (e.g. orange-bodied Tylomelania).
MolluscaBase via WoRMS REST record: Celetaia persculpta (AphiaID 1293453) · Wikipedia: Celetaia (Celetaia persculpta; cites MolluscaBase, Sulawesi Keepers, Shrimp and Snail Breeder)Legacy had no family. Not related to the marine turban snails (Turbo) despite the trade name; and not a pachychilid like Tylomelania.
MolluscaBase via WoRMS REST record: Celetaia persculpta (AphiaID 1293453) · Wikipedia: Celetaia (Celetaia persculpta; cites MolluscaBase, Sulawesi Keepers, Shrimp and Snail Breeder)Shell length. 1-2 in = 2.5-5 cm; legacy 3 cm is inside that range but at the small end. Wikipedia's figure comes from a hobby guide (Shrimp and Snail Breeder).
Wikipedia: Celetaia (Celetaia persculpta; cites MolluscaBase, Sulawesi Keepers, Shrimp and Snail Breeder)Only one hobby source with numbers found; legacy upper limit of 30 °C not supported.
Aqualibs (hobby profile): Celetaia persculpta (Blue Turbo Snail), 2026Legacy had no hardness; single hobby source (KH 3-8 dKH).
Aqualibs (hobby profile): Celetaia persculpta (Blue Turbo Snail), 202610 US gal = 37.9 L (15 gal = 57 L) for a small group; legacy 20 L is below this.
Aqualibs (hobby profile): Celetaia persculpta (Blue Turbo Snail), 2026Sources mention a 'small group' but give no minimum number.
Aqualibs (hobby profile): Celetaia persculpta (Blue Turbo Snail), 2026'About 5 years' in captivity (hobby-derived, via Wikipedia); legacy 2-3 years not supported.
Wikipedia: Celetaia (Celetaia persculpta; cites MolluscaBase, Sulawesi Keepers, Shrimp and Snail Breeder)Legacy care 2 (medium). Note the legacy 'about' text calls it 'easy', which this source contradicts.
Aqualibs (hobby profile): Celetaia persculpta (Blue Turbo Snail), 2026Legacy had no range. Ng et al. 2016 flag it as a restricted-range species collected for the trade.
Wikipedia: Celetaia (Celetaia persculpta; cites MolluscaBase, Sulawesi Keepers, Shrimp and Snail Breeder) · Ng et al. 2016, Molluscs for sale: freshwater gastropods and bivalves in the ornamental pet trade, PLoS ONE 11(8): e0161130 (peer-reviewed)Sources confirm separate sexes but none says whether they can be told apart by eye; legacy 'not visibly different' is unsourced.
Wikipedia: Celetaia (Celetaia persculpta; cites MolluscaBase, Sulawesi Keepers, Shrimp and Snail Breeder)Legacy said 'a few young at a time'; the only source found says one at a time. Low-confidence hobby source.
Aqualibs (hobby profile): Celetaia persculpta (Blue Turbo Snail), 2026Legacy 'small... orange-red body... stays small and is easy' partly corrected: not especially small, body colour varies (some hobby sources describe a blue-grey speckled body), and care is not rated easy.
Wikipedia: Celetaia (Celetaia persculpta; cites MolluscaBase, Sulawesi Keepers, Shrimp and Snail Breeder)