I had tried cleaning out the tank and even doing a complete water change, but nothing was working. Not knowing what else to do, I went down to the pet store (where they practically know me by name and the fish cower in complete fear at the sound of my voice), and asked if I should just get some drops or an algae eater or what. The fish guy agreed that I needed something, but was worried that an algae eater might not survive Pyro’s natural fighting instincts. So he offered me an interesting alternative: a bright yellow snail.
Little Man was with me that day, and as a consequence – I mean result – he got to name said snail. He named her Penny, apparently in homage to the movie Bolt (I tried to explain that “Bolt” would have been a lot funnier and a heck of a lot higher on the irony scale, but he wasn’t buying it. Penny it was).
So Penny was looking great in the bag on the way home. He/She/It (does anyone know if water snails are hermaphrodites?) was out in full display, checking out the strange confines of her temporary little shuttle. But once in the tank, things changed.
It took about 2 minutes in that tank for Penny to realize that she was not alone. It took about 5 minutes for Pyro to realize that he could play soccer with his new roommate. So in the shell we went, and we didn’t come out again. Like ever.
I figured my magical charm must work on invertebrates too, as Penny appeared quite dead on the bottom of the tank for about 3 days (why did I leave it there for 3 days you ask? Well, have you ever tried to determine whether or not a snail is actually alive? Much easier said than done…). I prepared the boys, and got out a Ziploc bag to take her sad little carcass back to the pet store (they actually give you your money back if they die within 14 days…I think they’re considering revising that policy because of me). But when I went to pick her up, she had ever-so-slightly moved in her shell. Could she be alive?
The answer (we determined many long, painstaking minutes later), was a definite yes. She was alive. For now, anyway. But the cracks in her shell told me it wouldn’t be long before Pele scored one too many goals and she would be gone for sure.
So we went back to enjoying our soccer-playing Betta, and anxiously awaiting the debut of Penny’s real, whole body and her well purchased algae eating skills. But it wasn’t to be. She found some refuge under a fake plant and took root for a while. I wound up having to feed her by dropping food right by her shell so she didn’t have to move to get it (remember, I didn’t want to have to feed her – I wanted her to have to find the algae in the tank!).
There she sat, getting stiller and stiller, while all around her the water got greener and greener. Back to the pet store we go.
This time, I skipped the fish guy. I went straight for the drops. Yes, I read the back of all the bottles, and yes I saw that 5 out of the 6 said “Do not use in tanks with freshwater invertebrates such as snails”. But I found that the 6th one actually said “freshwater crustaceans”, and only mentioned crabs and lobsters. A matter of semantics, perhaps, but well worth the risk at this point.
I got home and ceremoniously said good-bye to Penny, just in case the drops were indeed poisonous to her (I knew they would be, but this was now all about saving Pyro’s life). Then I proceeded to accidentally overdose the tank. Now they both were in danger.
A few minutes later I came back to find Penny rolled over on the back of her shell with her body slightly bulging out of her little trap door. Well, this was it. I finally knew how to determine if a snail was dead. If ever a snail was dead, this one was. Sorry Penny.
I couldn’t take her out right then, though, because we were leaving to go somewhere. So in the tank her bloated little corpse lay.
And then we came home.
You know in all those super hero comic books how the super heroes start out as these average, boring guys and then they get doused with radio-active acid or something and suddenly become indestructible and incredibly buff? Well, apparently algae drops really are like toxic waste to snails. Because Buddy let me tell you, Penny was all over that tank when we got home, and she hasn’t stopped since!
For once in her tiny little existence in our home she’s actually hanging out on the tank wall.
For once she’s literally starting to come out of her shell.
For once she’s standing up to her Pele-wanna-be roommate and she isn’t backing down.
She is Penny, the Impervious Snail. And she is real, living proof that the saying “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger” must be true. She’s beat the bully, she’s survived the cracks, and now she’s amped up on algae steroids and is ready to conquer the aquarium.
Too bad that aquarium is still under my care… Hmmm…
Yep, she’s definitely going to need another dose of that algae stuff if she’s gonna have a prayer of making it. Don’t worry, I’m on it.
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