Snails as food

[ashepler]

Perhaps this is a dumb question, but could mts or any snails be a healthy addition to a loaches diet? Are they of any nutritional value?

[msjinkzd]

I think that ramshorns or pond snails are a better choice as their shells are not as hard as mts.

[H3D]

Snails are not really a healthy diet for loaches and they can cause big problems with water quality.

[Lupin]

Perhaps this is a dumb question, but could mts or any snails be a healthy addition to a loaches diet? Are they of any nutritional value?
Inverts are part of the loaches' diet.:)

[H3D]

Inverts are part of the loaches' diet.:)

In the wild this is true, because most loaches will eat anything they can get. However in an aquarium we have the ability to feed them foods that are much more nutritional balanced.

[pinkertd]

:iagree: With Lupin. It is a live food that is a beneficial addition to the loaches diet. MTS shells are much harder so I would stick with ramshorns and pond snails. I add ramshorns to my loach tank regularly from other tanks. They are not in my loach tank long enough to reproduce there!

[H3D]

Can you explain how it is beneficial to use a live food that is lower in nutritional value than most prepared foods?

[pinkertd]

First let me stress that it is just an addition to a diet of prepared foods that are fortified. I also feed them white worms and microworms that I culture which we know are great conditioning foods as well as vital to some varieties of growing fry. The ramshorn snails in my tank feed on hikari algae wafers, ocean nutrition flakes of various types, shrimp pellets, earthworm sticks as well as fresh vegetables and natural biofilm type algae and diatoms. Why would they not be nutritional when fed on this diet? My ramshorn snails actually eat a better nutritionally balanced diet than my microworms who are sustained on oatmeal and my white worms who are sustained on white bread, white rice and potato flakes. My ramshorns actually eat a very nutritious diet.

[H3D]

What your snails eat does not directly indicate what their nutritional value is when the loaches eat them. Snails are extremely high in protein, however most sinking wafers contain 3 times the amount of protein one snail would. Snails are also quite deficient in vitamins and minerals when compared to prepared foods.

I know some people like to give their loaches snails as a "treat" however I feel their are much better alternatives such as frozen blood worms.

[pinkertd]

I don't know if the nutritional value of ramshorn snails has ever been tested since people don't eat them, do you?

Giant land snails, however, have been tested, since they are looked at as a source of available animal protein for people with protein deficient diets in Nigeria. Giant land snails feed on plant growth and here is some of what was found:

"Concentrations of zinc, iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sulphur, potassium and sodium in the flesh of the snails were determined. Values of iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium were consistently high while cobalt, copper and lead were not detected. Snails complement the required trace and minor elements needed for proper growth and development in human being, so it is recommended for regular.

The current report provides information on mineral elements which compared favourably with the reported values of some lean domestic livestock meats as reported by Bender (1992 (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1559794#B5)). Favourable nutrition elements are reported for protein, fat, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and magnesium. Consumption of giant land snail is therefore recommended for both old and young, as this will combine effectively with other food components in providing the required essential elements to the body.
consumption."

And here is the nutritional value of snails that we consume as escargot:
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/nutrition/All_Foods/Fish/Snails.html.
We don't rely on escargot as the source of our daily nutrition, but they do add somethings that the body needs.

And in the same line as what I stated, not relied on for complete nutrition. I never see my loaches feeding on an algae wafer although they are added to the tank regularly for the cories. They do scarf up bloodworms and are fed bloodworms daily.

There's got to be some nutritional value in the snails when added to their regular diet, just not to be solely relied on as is the case with feeding all of our pets....furry and wet alike. Just my humble opinion on the matter.

[pinkertd]

Found this under snail farming:

Snail meat is high in protein (37-51%) compared to that of guinea pig (20.3%), Poultry (18.3%), Fish (18%), Cattle (17.5%), Sheep (16.4%) and Swine (14.5%). Iron content (45-59mg/kg), low in fat (0.05-0.08%) and contains almost all the amino acids needed for human nutrition. In addition to the nutritional value of snail meat, recent studies indicated that the glandular substances from edible snails cause agglutination of certain bacteria, which could be of value against a variety of ailments including whooping cough. In folk medicine, the bluish liquid obtained when the meat has been removed from the shell is believed to be good for infant's development. It is believed in some quarters that snail meat contains pharmacological properties of value in counteracting high blood pressure.

Not to say that a ramshorn snail would match this, but I still think there's adquate nutrition in snail flesh to add some to a balanced loach diet. The loaches LOVE them! My loaches don't have to eat the snails, I'm certainly feeding a variety of foods, and as I said they get either bloodworms or white worms every day.....yet they still consume snails.

[msjinkzd]

but I still think there's adquate nutrition in snail flesh to add some to a balanced loach diet

I think this is key. I don't think anyone is suggesting feeding them as their sole means of nutrition.

[fishorama]

The only thing I'd worry about feeding snails would be introducing parasites or disease. I think my home grown snails are safe but would quarrantine snails from another source.
I don't have large populations of snails but give pond & ramshorns occaisionally as loach treats. I have a couple living with kuhlis but they must eat eggs or smaller snails.
Food variety is important to fish health & can provide entertainment for both me & my fish.