Pagoda Snails Journal

[Anita]

@FishMonger From the posted description, I can tell you got Shogun from Aquatic Arts. Me too! 😅

[Anita]

Snail food prep 

The mix on the left is for the fish (Drosophila hydei larvae and pupae). The mix on the right is for the snails. Both mixes use Repashy Super Green. 

 

I also made Repashy banana leaves for the snails. Banana leaves make a great base because they are tough and won't fall apart, even after sitting for days at the bottom of the aquarium. 

First, rehydrate dried banana leaves by soaking them in boiling water. This softens the leaves and helps the Repashy stick better.

 

Mix Repashy and boiling water in a small skillet. Keeping the Repashy warm over very low heat, coat both sides of each leaf. Set the leaf onto a baking sheet to cool and set.

(Please forgive the shaky video. Holding the phone steady with one hand and coating the leaves with the other was trickier than I expected. 😁) 

 

Place the baking sheet with coated leaves in the oven.

 

Set the oven to the lowest heat setting and keep the door slightly ajar.  Turn the leaves over to ensure both sides dry out. Cool to room temperature. Make sure the leaves are completely dry! Store in an airtight container.

[H.K.Luterman]

3 minutes ago, Anita said:

Snail food prep 

The mix on the left is for the fish (Drosophila hydei larvae and pupae). The mix on the right is for the snails. Both mixes use Repashy Super Green. 

 

I also made Repashy banana leaves for the snails. Banana leaves make a great base because they are tough and won't fall apart, even after sitting for days at the bottom of the aquarium. 

First, rehydrate dried banana leaves by soaking them in boiling water. This softens the leaves and helps the Repashy stick better.

 

Mix Repashy and boiling water in a small skillet. Keeping the Repashy warm over very low heat, coat both sides of each leaf. Set the leaf onto a baking sheet to cool and set.

(Please forgive the shaky video. Holding the phone steady with one hand and coating the leaves with the other was trickier than I expected. 😁) 

 

Place the baking sheet with coated leaves in the oven.

 

Set the oven to the lowest heat setting and keep the door slightly ajar.  Turn the leaves over to ensure both sides dry out. Cool to room temperature. Make sure the leaves are completely dry! Store in an airtight container.

OOoooooo. I like this idea. 

[Anita]

2 minutes ago, H.K.Luterman said:

OOoooooo. I like this idea. 

I will report on how well the snails like their gourmet fare, haha! 🥗

[Anita]

I moved my Chopstick snails (Stenomelania spp.) into this tank. Stenomelania coarctata is on the far left. Now, all my oddball snails are together, so, it's official—this is the Snail Tank.

 

They seem to enjoy the Repashy banana leaves. However, the dried Repashy did not hold together very well. Most of it crumbled and flaked off the banana leaf after a few hours. Fortunately, most of the dregs stayed in the dish. But, I either have to find a better binder, or I may abandon this experiment. 

Nothing like a post-meal siesta.

 

Today's water test. #1 is the Snail Tank. The nitrates may have inched up in the last week, but only by a tiny bit. Perhaps because of the Repashy.

Video from the last couple of days. 

 

Edited March 31, 2021 by Anita

[Koi]

9 hours ago, Anita said:

Video from the last couple of days. 

 

The music makes me feel like I should be working in a rice paddy!

Also, did you bake the repashy on the banana leaves as a means for storage? I figured dipping the banana leaves after baking them would have been good enough. Or maybe freezing them after dipping but I guess there’s something else you’re putting into to consideration that I’m not thinking of.

[Anita]

19 minutes ago, Koi said:

Also, did you bake the repashy on the banana leaves as a means for storage? I figured dipping the banana leaves after baking them would have been good enough. Or maybe freezing them after dipping but I guess there’s something else you’re putting into to consideration that I’m not thinking of.

Nothing was baked or cooked. 😎The banana leaves were air-dried outside, in the shade. The Repashy was prepared with boiling water and kept warm over low heat to keep it from setting up. The oven was set to the lowest heat setting (probably 150 degrees or less) and the door was kept ajar, to hasten the drying process. Once the Repashy is dry, it can be stored at room temperature.

[Koi]

That makes a lot more sense, I definitely overthought it! haha

[Anita]

37 minutes ago, Koi said:

That makes a lot more sense, I definitely overthought it! haha

No worries! I am frequently guilty of the same. 🤓

[FishMonger]

Lol!  I see your pagoda does the climb on the branch thing too! 🙂 It totally freaks out my kid.

 

[Hank]

On 3/31/2021 at 12:49 PM, Anita said:

No worries! I am frequently guilty of the same. 🤓

On 6/18/2023 at 6:49 AM, Hank said:

 

Any updates? Have they bred?

Edited June 18, 2023 by Hank