Feeding Fish Vegetables - how to?

[chriznat20@msn.]

Ok I see a lot of good publicity out there for feeding fish vegetables (cucumber, zucchini, whatever). What i dont understand, and Im no magic chef, what is parboiled mean?
So you are telling me to buy a cucumber, or romaine lettuce, boil it, and then drop it in my tank and my fish will go crazy over it?? I have 4 gouramis, 1 pleco, 1 loach, 3 snails, 3 tiger barbs, 2 barbs of some kind, and thats about it. I really would like to give my fish the best and if feeding vegetables would help their diet, Im all for it.
Also, what is the best "live" food to feed? you can forget about chopping up earthworms, it aint happening in my house what about frozen brine shrimp? will my fish get the same effect?

[justDIY]

parboiled ... or "blanched" ... just a quick dip in boiling water ... helps to "soften" the cells of the plants, making them easier to eat for the fish

another method is a 5 min freeze ... go too long on the freeze or the boil, and all you'll get is mush

I don't know if you'd need to do either for cucumber (maybe the peel/rhine), since it's "meat" is so soft already?

I also don't blanch zuchinni, since I want the other fish to NOT eat it (they'd make a mess), so leaving it firm is good since pleco's and oto's can still enjoy it, but mollys and platies leave it alone 'cause it's too much work

remember to take out the seeds for anything that has them first, they really make an awful mess inside the tank


as for live food? I've tried feeding various bugs collected off the ground, fish didn't seem interested ... they didn't like nightcrawlers either (chopped or whole) ... other receipes involve farming worms, which isn't something I think a lot of people would want to bother with, I just stick with frozen brine shrimps

[i3k]

I tried feeding some zuchinni to my white tip catfish sharks and they only mess with it and spit it back out...they will just kind of chew on it for a little while and then leave it alone...

[shawmutt]

I have not tried feeding my ottos cucumber yet. I worry about the pesticides and wax on the vegetables. (But I'll eat it?!?) But I did see a veggie clip in the lfs--basically a clip on a suction cup...very handy if you have a big tank.

As far as live food, I haven't gotten that far yet. I want to start a daphnia culture because they survive in a fish tank and are natural food for the fish. What I found was freeze dried bloodworms--my fish love them! I pour a little right into the "waterfall" from my power filter, and the current pushes them down and makes them wiggle. My little tetras act like salmon and will fight the current to get to them .

Hope I was helpful!

[jackie]

apparently gouramis are quite partial to afew peas,, just lightly cook them first then squeeze out of skins,, havnt tried it yet but plan to . will be using frozen peas. all of my fish like the frozen food bloodworm ,daphnia,whiteworm and i think the other one is brine shrimp, it comes in a mixed pack of cubes and they go crazy to catch it, its great cos i cant get to the lfs every week to give them their live food they like.. the veggie clip mentioned by shawmutt is good too,just dunk a lettuce leaf in boiling water , them put in the clip , i dont very often see them eating in the day , but it gets nibbled on the quiet... jackie

[ConanTheLibraia]

I tried feeding cucumber but it didn't work out and was a hassle, I had to chop it into incredibly small pieces (the cheeze grader wouldnt get them small enough) to fit in the bala sharks mouth, otherwise he just nipped at it and swallowed it and spit it out. The cucumber only kept for a few days, and of course, youd have to have some pretty big fish not to have to waste any cucumber. I did not have the time to do any boiling or any kind of special preparation either. Lately Ive just been keeping my eyes open for any frozen fish food with veggies.

I simply cut a cucumber in half and then I "half" that section lengthwise. Then I scoop out the seeds and float it on the water with the skin facing up. I kind of wedge it between the powerhead and the glass. He loves to hang out up in it. It's like a little cave shelter and a food source all in one! I remove it after two days so that it doesn't rot - then I replace it with a new one.

[littlelouie]

I've fed my 5 cardinal tetras and clown loach frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp and they go ballistic. I have tried the blanched zucchini (actually steamed in the microwave) and the loach loves it but the tetras only get a little nibble here and there. The zucchini does make a mess though and I learnt the hard way that you should remove the seeds first

I think mixing their diet is the best way to maintain happy, healthy fish :P

Louise