Daily checklist

Detailed Protocol

Current Snail Colony

Daily Snail Maintenance

Note: When maintaining genetically distinct strains, it is important to switch gloves in between tanks to prevent contamination. Each species of snail has their own labeled materials for maintenance and cleaning, which can ONLY be used for that species of snail.

Feeding

1. Check the tanks to ensure lettuce from the last feeding has been consumed. If lettuce remains, there are two options:
1. Skip that day’s feeding
2. Remove the old lettuce (without removing any snails) and provide fresh lettuce
2. Get a pre-packaged bag of lettuce from the freezer in room P-525.
3. Break off one large leaf of lettuce per tank (may need more depending on density of the tank). If there is lettuce left over, put lettuce leftovers and put back in bag and in freezer. If the bag is empty, wash it out in the sink and hang to dry. These bags can be re-used.

Note: All of our lettuce is grown on-site. Coordinate lettuce acquisition with Clara Sallmann of the UWEC Greenhouse.

4. Shake in a pinch of fish food.

Other

1. Inspect the the foam pieces floating on top of the tank. If you notice a high density of egg bundles you may want to add another piece of cut styrofoam. If a majority of egg sacs have hatched off of the styrofoam piece, you can remove and discard. This doesn't need to be done often (~ once per month). If using a snail nursery, move full foam pieces with eggs to the smaller tank and replace with new pieces.
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Check each egg sack carefully for contamination with small, black specks. These specks are small arthropods that will eat snail embryos (can be seen clearly using a stereomicroscope). Notify Dr. Wheeler immediately if you suspect contamination of this type.
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Any black specks might also be a fungus, which still negatively affects the embryos. Consult Dr. Wheeler for confirmation or look at the embryos under the stereomicroscope. To do so, bring the suspicious Styrofoam pieces down to the InVision room using the transfer tank. Once confirmed that the black specks are fungus, proceed with the following instructions:
1. Inspect the rest of the Styrofoam pieces to make sure you’re not missing any.
2. Get a beaker and fill it up with bleach and water.
3. Scrape off the bad sacs of embryos with the black specks and put them in the bleach. If all of the sacs on the Styrofoam piece look bad, just put the entire thing in the bleach.
2. Top off water levels using pre-made artificial pond water.
3. Check to ensure the 55 gallon storage tank has sufficient water (>50% full). If not, make new pond water using stock solutions and tap water.

Cleaning Tanks (Every 4-6 Months)

Materials

• Small holding tank (with lid)
• Fish net
• Two 5-gallon buckets
• Siphon apparatus (with pump)
• Plastic waste container
• Large brush
• Scraper
• Sieve
• Two metal autoclavable containers

Day 1

1. Fill the small holding tank half way with pond water. Use a fish net to get the snails out of the dirty tank (this doesn't get all the snails) and transfer them to the small holding tank.

2. Scoop the remaining live snails with your gloved hand and add to the holding tank. Remove old pieces of lettuce. Inspect the old pieces of lettuce for snails. If snails are on the lettuce remove and add to the holding tank.
3. Get two 5 gallon buckets (you will need two buckets as one bucket is not enough to hold all the old water from the tank). Put them on the floor next to the tanks that you are emptying. Disconnect the hoses from the grey air pump and the aerators in the tank. Rinse the hoses in the sink using tap water. Wash the lid that covers the top of the tank. Use tap water and a brush scrub the lid clean. Remove foam pieces.

Optional: Inspect the styrofoam pieces, if they are heavily contaminated with mites, do not transfer to the new tank. If the mite contamination is low, cut away egg sacs with no mites, and put those in the holding tank and discard the rest of the foam pieces.


4. Use the siphon apparatus to remove water from the tank.
• Place the siphon end in the tank. Place the hose end into a 5 gallon bucket on the floor (lower than the tank).

• Use the pump attached to the apparatus, pumping as many times as needed to create a steady flow. Empty until 1" remaining.


Note: To stop the flow, quickly place your thumb over the hose end, leaving the siphon end in the tank. Switch to the second bucket if needed.

1. Pick the remaining living snails out of the tank, and transfer to the holding tank. Discard dead snails, old shells, mites, debris, and any remaining pieces of old lettuce into the plastic waste container (dead snails have noticeably less color than live ones). Empty the two 5 gallon buckets, containing old water, down the sink drain. Place a sieve over the drain to avoid draining any juvenile snails.

5. Remove and clean the rocks:
1. Fish out the rocks using fish nets and place them into a metal autoclave container.
2. Place a sieve or net over the drain. Rinse the rocks thoroughly and place the clean rocks into the second metal autoclave container.
3. Once every rock has been rinsed, clean the dirty autoclave container.
4. Divide the rocks evenly between the two metal autoclave containers.
5. Autoclave on Grav15-10.
6. Clean out the tank with tap water and a large brush. Use a clean scraper to clean the old lettuce off the rim of the tank and around the edges of the tank. Rinse the tank with water at least 3 times to make sure you get rid of mites and debris.
7. Dry the tank as completely as possible.
8. Bleach the waste container.
9. Cover the holding tank with its lid and set aside overnight.

Day 2

1. Retrieve the rocks from the autoclave and place them into the clean tank.
2. Fill the clean tank 80% full with pond water from the storage tank.
3. Reattach the heater to the side of the tank.
4. Add 6 half sticks of chalk. Add 4 foam cup pieces. Remove old gloves and put new gloves on. Hand pick the snails out of the holding tank and add back to the colony tank.
5. Top off the tank with pond water and reconnect the tubing to the aerator stacks and air pump. Feed a little bit of fish food and a little bit of lettuce. Use tape to label the tank with the date of cleaning and the snail strain.
6. Clean the small holding tank, dishes and buckets used to clean the tank.