TRAGEDY IN A TUB

 TRAGEDY IN A TUB

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

15/V/2024

 

Our small little fish pond is doing well. Fish are happy, floating plants are happy, water lilies are happy, honey bees are happy, and so are the numerous snails inside. We are happy too.

The issue with snails is that they munch on all kinds of greenery, drilling numerous holes in every leaf they visit. The complete appearance changes to a pock marked kind of plant. Even a healthy plant looks diseased. The end result is that the leaf finally dies and has to be snipped due to the snail massacre.

Our happiness knew no bounds on finding snails in the tub when we had started our aquatic plant hobby. We were told they are algae eaters. Indeed, they were. But then, when there was a snail population explosion, they ran out of algae and attacked plants, damaging all kinds of leaves.

Once while cleaning the yellowing and decaying water lily leaves, we found a cluster of transparent white bubbles, something like a bubble wrap on the reverse side of water lily leaves. They were snail eggs. That is how they must have got transported to our pond along with aquatic plants which came online. Plants came with snail eggs attached. Now, they thrive and flourish and we let them be.

We do not interfere in their lives, even if certain leaves start looking like bullet ridden targets. Snails do not eat like caterpillars who consume leaves from the edges. Snails bite wherever they stick. Mind you they have an insatiable appetite.

We see young snails mating every now and then. Their love making is quite violent. Once attached to each other, the rock and roll in water like jive dancers. Once the love making is over, snails lay eggs on the reverse side of floating leaves touching the water surface.

We had introduced ‘Apple Snails’ to add variety to our tub. They are bigger, brighter, yellowish, and ravenous algae feeders. Once at the aquarium shop, I found these sticking to the glass wall of a fish tank. Two of them were purchased and now we have quite a few in almost every tub.

Apple Snails are very adventurous. They can climb over the edges of the container because they lay eggs above the water level. Once those eggs mature, baby snails keep falling back into the tub from the sidewalls where they were stuck like ‘pinkish mulberry fruits’ with glue.

Today, a tragedy happened. During my daily visit and inspection of each tub, I found one big sized apple snail lying on the floor. It must have taken a fall of almost two and a half feet. Till last evening they were happily mating inside. However, this morning it lay motionless giving me the creeps about the obvious. I felt very sad to see it dead.

As I lifted it up with utmost care, I heard the shell crackle in my hands. I was not aware that it could be so delicate. I somehow did not believe it was dead. But being clueless, I was prepared to accept the worst.

How does one revive a snail? I had no idea. The best way to give it a chance was to leave it on a half-submerged water lily leaf. If it stirred or wriggled out of its shell.

I sat for a while to see if it fidgeted. Generally, they shoot their tentacles and body out of their shell to do so. Nothing happened. Hope was still alive. I thought of feeding the other fish in various tubs and return to the snail to check. I didn’t want to lose it.

There was no movement still. I left it alone and decided to check if it was still afloat or sunk to the bottom in the evening. I knew that if a snail dies the shell along with its ingredients settle to the floor of the tub. With its shell already smashed due to that nasty fall, chances of it surviving appeared bleak. It was something like a grievous head injury.

It may happen some bird like a Kingfisher may spot it and carry it away if it stays afloat. Will our dear Apple Snail survive? I wonder!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© ® NOEL ELLIS