Turbo snails

[jonfr]

Does anyone know how long turbo snails live ? I have had one for a one year now and he doesn't appear to be slowing down, or anything. The only thing that he has done is growing a little bit.

[Donya]

I should have picked this one up a lot earlier - sorry!

Are these specifically in the Turbo genus, or "turbo" snails more generally as the aquarium trade uses the term (which can include many other genera such as Astrea and Trochus)?

A lot of estimates put them at 1-2 years, which seems wrong based on my experience. Better estimates are probably a few years longer than that at least, although expected aquarium lifespan may differ from wild lifespan due to temperature differences (faster metabolism & growth at higher temperatures = shorter lifespan). I have had adult Turbo genus snails that lasted for over a year, but they didn't die from old age (injury instead), so they were not a good measure for maximum lifespan. Currently I have a couple of "zebra turbos" (Cittarium pica, a relative of true Turbo snails but in a different family) that I got as adults, and they've been my tanks for probably about 2 years at this point. Given that they were adults when I got them and the growth rate I've seen from various Turbinid and Trochid species, those "zebra turbos" likely have at least another 1-2 years added onto the time I've had them, which would put them at 3-4 years old right now.