I held up the clear-sided, water-filled container and stared intently at the beige snail shell rolling around inside. It looked hollow. I said to the salesperson, “This snail shell looks empty, like no one is at home inside. Could the little snail be dead?”

Shaking his head, the salesperson responded confidently, “No. It’s alive. That’s a mystery snail. You don’t see its foot because this type of snail has a little trap door that can be closed when they want to hide.”

Snails with trap doors! I’d never heard of anything like that before. because I decided to buy it because I think snails are fascinating. I would just have to watch to see if it eventually moved. Turning back to examine the various betta fish for sale, I wondered which one to buy. There were small reddish ones with small fins. I figured they were females. One black betta had long, dreadlock-appearing fins. Two of the fish had large, fan-like fins. The fish I picked to take home was black with white fins. Its ruffled white pectoral fins reminded me of Victorian lace as it fluttered nervously when I picked up the small container it was in.

My daughter, Niki, gave me a small aquarium for Christmas. It was equipped with a water pump and three seed growing trays to cover the top of the tank. In the trays are specially coated “growing” rocks. Wheat grass and radish seeds were included in the kit. The sprouts from these seeds can be harvested and eaten in salads. The water pump keeps the rocks constantly damp, which makes them a perfect place for seed germination. I loved this setup because it would keep my cats from trying to go fishing whenever I wasn’t looking.

There are over 70 different types and species of betta fish, which are also known as Siamese fighting fish. The species we love and use in home aquariums is scientifically known as Betta splendens. These fish are generally kept in small tanks alone, because they are known to fight their tank-mates to death. Native to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, bettas require warm water to live in.

Mystery snails are one of the few snails that can share a tank with betta fish, mostly because of the “trap door” the salesperson in the store mentioned. The trap door, called an operculum, protects the snail from the betta getting inside far enough to harm them. If a betta does manage to bite a snail’s eye off, the snail is able to regenerate it in about three weeks’ time.

Last month, when I had first set up the aquarium, I bought a beautiful, light blue betta fish with white ruffled pectoral fins. I named it Mary. My old brick farmhouse has several cold drafty spots, and I had placed the aquarium in one of them. Knowing this, I installed a water heater, but apparently, it didn’t make the water warm enough. Mary died, and I felt like a murderer.

Because of this experience with Mary the fish, I was reluctant to name my new betta. One morning as I was dropping fish food into the tank, I admired my pretty new fish. I murmured, “You are such a fancy looking fish.” Then, chuckling, I announced, “That’s going to be your name: Fancy Fish.” I dropped another fish pellet into the water. He had quickly learned my morning visit to the tank meant feeding time. Fancy Fish darted to where the pellet was floating on the surface of the water. Opening his mouth, he slurped in the pellet. As he swam away, the little fish’s snout moved up and down as if chewing the pellet.

I didn’t want to name the snail until I knew for sure it was alive. I glanced around the aquarium. Where was it? Then I spotted it, clinging to the wall of the aquarium with its large sticky foot. For the first time I saw it’s beautiful, delicate antennae and eyes. I exclaimed, “You moved when I wasn’t looking! I’m naming you: Sneaky Snail.”

Above the aquarium, small leaves from the sprouted seeds were peeking over the top of their trays. I leaned back and sighed happily, all was well with my fish, snail, and salad greens.

Can you eat chia seeds and their sprouts?

The answer is yes. Chia seeds are very nutritious, they’re often called a superfood because they’re packed with antioxidants, fiber, protein and omega-3 fatty acids. When chia seeds sprout, the tiny plants have the same nutritional benefits!