Can i fix the shell?

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toehead11183

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Dec 4, 2006
3,538
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Memphis, tn
I accidently stepped on the snail fixing the pond filter and cracked the shell. I read i can fix it with superglue and egg shell as long as the glue doesnt come in contact twith the tissue but its a big hole...plus its a big snail and eggshell is too thin. Could i superglue a layer of PVC pond liner over it?

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well i took a small piece of a zip lock bag and glued it on with medical superglue then added a few extra layers on top. We'll see how that holds up
 
Superglue contains cyanide I think. Maybe the nail glue stuff women use would be safer, as long as it doesn't come into cotact with soft tissue... Just a thought, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Medical superglue sounds safe.
 
Your best option is to take off the ziplock bag - that's not going to hold up. Get a piece of eggshell and place it over the hole. Then use a marine epoxy putty to cover the hole and the eggshell completely. I've used Aquamend with great success. You can get it at any hardware store.
You'll want to knead the putty until it's a solid color with no marbling, then knead or roll it out into a thin sheet. Cover the eggshell, which should be covering the hole, don't worry about covering too much of the snail's shell itself. Be sure the epoxy is firmly attached to the snail's shell, then put the snail in a shallow dish of water until the epoxy is cured. The epoxy will dry to a hard, rock-like finish and will permanently seal that hole.
It's very important that you do this IMMEDIATELY, as the hole is right over the snail's lung. If you do not seal up the hole, the snail could puncture its lung and drown.
 
Hey Davescube, thanks for posting that! I couldn't find my bookmark to that link. The guy does a great job of showing how to patch, but I definitely recommend using a commercial marine epoxy putty rather than his mixture.
It dries harder, with a more permanent bond to the shell, and is also sandable, so you can sand it smoother or thinner depending on your needs.
 
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