Mine is a general question. Does everybody in Zone 5 ( or about ) take out their fish and snails for the winter? I'm in zone 5, but I'm the Pioneer Valley in Mass. so we're alittle protected from the bulk of storms.
I'll be bringing in whoever I can grab this winter but I know I won't get ALL the snail babies.
I grew up bailing water out of the basement, can't believe I'm going to put a pond down there. lol Would 4ft. flouresent lighting be enough?

This should be in the pond section but that's okay. I'm in Zone 7 but know that many people in Zone 5 keep fish outside over the winter. They probably have ponds that are 4 feet deep or more. If your snail babies are really apple snails, they won't take the cold (regardless of the pond freezing over) but if they're in fact a temperate species of snail, they might make it.

The standard 4 ft. fluorescent lights (I use ones make for planted aquaria) will keep some plants alive but I usually lose half of the tropicals I bring in as it's just not warm and bright enough. Are you going to use the light to keep hardy plants alive as well? For hardy plants, you might want to let them go dormant in a cool area in damp sphagnum or sand depending on the species.