i blanche mine in the micro for 30 seconds. put a fork through it and place it in the tank, prongs down, just make sure the inside of the squash is facing up. My fish love it, also love lebanese cucumber
No, it needs to be weighted down, if you use something like a fork or metal skewer, it needs to be stainless steel, it won't hurt the fish, just bury the pointy end in the substrate