NW escargot

[mrcolbeck]

I ask this partly for amusement, but partly serious:

Has anyone tried garden slugs as a food source for inverts?

It seems to me that pureed slugs would have suspension and coagulation properties similar to marine snow, and therefore might be suitable for filter feeders. I haven't seen detailed nutritional data, but I do know they are not toxic (at least to starlings, daddy-longlegs, and lost campers on the verge of starvation.)

It seems a shame not to use such an abundant local resource. I haven't tried it yet, because a) it's gross , and b) I want to be sure I'm not dumping unwanted nutrients into my system.

 

[Desolas]

I can think of other better sources of plankton for inverts without resorting to using garden slugs. I've used earthworms to feed Discus, and its a pain. I can only imagine slugs would be worse. When you rinse and dry a earthworm it appears to be pretty well mucous free, but as soon as you process it the mess becomes a mucous gel with bits of flesh in it. I would think that doing the same would happen to slug mix, only worse since you would have more internal organ to deal with. It's not as big of a deal when dealing with earthworms since you have bits that are large enough to pick out from the mess, but if you are talking of processing it to the point that small inverts could take it, you'd have a mucous based fluid with very small bits of protein in it. Something I don't think you'd want to use. I think you'd end up adding organic matter that is useless to the tank over anything else.

That and food processors don't manage well with something the consistency of a slug or worm, they won't chop it up into real fine bits to begin with. The best mine would do to the worms is take them down to 3-5mm chunks, which was fine for the fish I was feeding..but after two batches of making worm based food I gave up from the mess and labor.

There are just too many marine based organisms that you can run through your food processor that will do a much finer job than slugs I'm afraid. IMO anyway.

Another thought for abundant local resource is crawfish. During the summer I will take an hour or two and fish some up to use as fish meal, I just mulch the entire thing in with whatever I'm making, they are free and you don't need a license to take them. If the fishing is good you get meal for yourself and your fish.