Pagoda snail blog

[Flavius]

Can anyone ID this amazing snail? Just got it today. All my yellow apple snails died in time, of starvation I assume, since they were barely coming out of their shell. Hope to be luckier with this one.

http://www.flavi.ro/share/snail.jpg

[vampie]

Brotia pagodula

[Nue]

nice snail. Great pic too!

[BettaFishMommy]

very neat snail. but why wouldn't your previous snails ever come out of their shells?

[FastFly67]

and why would you go and get new snails before figuring out why your old ones died...

[msjinkzd]

easy easy. Very cool snail! I don't even have this one! Where did you get it? Be sure to make sure it gets fed well! :)

[snoopy65]

I need one or two of those!

[laurenrocksth]

Awesome snail!!!

I too would like to know where you got it... and how quickly you can ship it to me :)

[eroomlorac]

I am a pretty inexperienced newbie but I wonder if your other snails didn't come out of their shells because the water parameters were not right for them. Do you test the water?

That said, that is one heck of a gorgeous snail and I am a little bit jealous.

[jamesstill84]

Yes! Please tell where you got it! Everyone is envious!

[Flavius]

I got this snail here in Montreal.

About the previous snails. They seemed very comfortable initially, until my jellybean parrots discovered them and started nipping on them. Although jellybeans and chyclids in general can't really bite, due to their mouth structure (as I've been told), it was enough to traumatize my snails for good. I eventually brought back the jellybeans to the store, but the snails never recovered and eventually faded away. So I think it was stress, rather than bad water. I also had a small brown snail outbreak (few hundred) before, so the water must be OK.

[Flavius]

Awesome snail!!!

I too would like to know where you got it... and how quickly you can ship it to me :)

Hurry up, there's only 2 left at the store and a few newborn. Don't know if live snails can be shipped internationally though :)

[Flavius]

easy easy. Very cool snail! I don't even have this one! Where did you get it? Be sure to make sure it gets fed well! :)

How would I ensure of that? I do have large plants, dot algae on the walls and beard algae here and there that is mostly taken care of the SAEs, but there's still plenty left. Not sure if pagodula fancies these types of algae. I read they like powder food. I feed the jellybean fry on that, but how would I ensure it gets to the snail also? Seems impossible in a big tank.

[msjinkzd]

I don't know much about this particular snail, but most will eat blanched vegetables. You might try feeding it some pieces of blanched veggie and see if it goes for it.

[feiyang]

This is a good looking snail! Hope I can find them locally...

[Flavius]

Here are the water parameters. Phosphates is a bit high, I should cut back on feeding. Water is very hard also.

ph 7.5
GH 280 mg/L
KH 30 mg/L

NH3 0 mg/L
NO2 0 mg/L
NO3 8 mg/L
PO4 1.5 mg/L

[Lupin]

I can use a database for this particular species. Flavius, could you please record all your experience with this particular snail?

[texasguy]

Hey i read a site with info on these and it says they need moving water.
http://www.allesumdieschneck.de/html/brotia_pagodula_english.html
I don't know if it's reliable.

[Lupin]

Hey i read a site with info on these and it says they need moving water.
http://www.allesumdieschneck.de/html/brotia_pagodula_english.html
I don't know if it's reliable.
German sites are more indepth than most other sites due to their uncanny knack for keeping oddball invertebrates. The same website recorded the water parameters of Lake Malili I believe when it made a database for Sulawesi snails (Tylomelania sp.).

[Flavius]

I can use a database for this particular species. Flavius, could you please record all your experience with this particular snail?

I'll sure do.

[Flavius]

I noticed a little hairy thing on the shell (see red arrow). First I thought it's a fungus, but then I saw it retreating into the shell. There's a small hole in the shell there, so the thing is attached to or part of the body. Any idea what could it be?

The tip of the shell is also all eroded, but I saw that on all of them, including in the pics on the net, so that could be normal.


http://www.flavi.ro/share/snail-hair.jpg

[Wycco]

What a fantastic looking snail! I think that is the most interesting looking fw snail I've seen.

[dixienut]

wow, gotta have,..

[Arakkis]

I got some of those a year ago.. didn't ship so good. But can be purchased in Thailand easily where they inhabit the streams there

[thebrandon]

Most B. pagodula die after about 6 months in the aquarium

Man that's lame. I wonder why.

[Arakkis]

probably because they are sensitive to fluctuations in aquarium conditions.. but I wasn't able to keep mine alive either

[Flavius]

I'm assuming mine is older than 6 months, it is about 2.5" long. And they were doing pretty well at the store, I saw a bunch of very small ones, that I'm guessing were born there. Although the guy told me they are very passive, he never saw them moving more than 2-3" in days. I wonder how can they feed themselves like that?

[Flavius]

As requested, continuing to log experiences with the pagoda snail.

- very shy and still during the first couple of weeks, as already told at the store. Not changing position for hours/days, just sitting in the gravel
- became hyperactive shortly after
- likes to spend time attached to objects
- marching all over the walls, from bottom to water level and back
- full body "gravel diving" observed, probably in search for food
- much less shy than previous yellow apple snails, it doesn't mind fish swimming around. Will not retreat into the shell when fish get very close or bump into.

http://www.flavi.ro/share/pagoda_on_wall.JPG

Can any of the moderators please rename the thread to "Pagoda snail blog" or something? Thanks.

[jamesstill84]

could that little fuzzy thing on the end of the shell be a Hydra?

[Reframer]

COOL! http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Pagoda_Snail
http://www.snailshop.co.uk/horned-armour-snail-brotia-pagodula-p-49.html
Mixed info on whether or not they eat live plants. Try algae wafers and snail jello.

[Lupin]

Thread title changed per OP request. Lovely snail!

[bluekrissyspike]

looks a bit like hydra to me too. are you target feeding it some kind of snail jello or algea wafers?
i'm concerned about the cichlids. i know some people say cichlids won't bite but they seem to be quite nippy to snails in my tank. aren't you concerned that the babies will start to harass the snail?

[Flavius]

What should I do about the hydra?

I didn't try target feeding, but I'll go find some jello.

The jellybeans are very small (1 and 2 month old) and separated in a breeder. As soon as they grow I'll give them away. I already took their parents back to the store, they were too bossy.

[vampie]

Doesn't look like a hydra..
..a bryozoan of some sort.

[Flavius]

Doesn't look like a hydra..
..a bryozoan of some sort.

I'm a bit confused. I think we are refering to different things. There is some white calcification on the shell and there's also a little hairy thing that seems to be alive (see pic on page 3, red arrow)

[vampie]

Yes, I know. It doesn't look like hydra, unless there are multiple ones very closely grouped together, which seems unlikely.

[Dr. Awkward]

If the fuzzy thing retreated into a hole then I also vote for freshwater bryozoan. Hydras don't retreat. I doubt the bryozoan will live that long because it probably can't find enough food in your tank.

Very cool snail, I hope it does well for you.

[247Plants]

Whatever it is leave it be....

That operculum is INSANE. That is one snail Id love to have.

[MotionInSilver]

^_^ seriously awesome looking snail!