Vegetable diet

[debomb4u]

I'm wondering what vegetables i can give my fish( check sig )And how to prepare them... if there is a special way to make them interested in it. I've tried putting in a small well rinsed piece of spinach they nipped at it but didn't eat it. And i've put in a small piece of an earthworm ( from our compost ) they sucked it in and spit it back out.

 

[talloulou]

My fish love zucchini & peas. The zucchini I just slice and cut away the seeds then sink it. The peas I shell and drop in. My snails also love spinach leaves.

 

[QTOFFER]

Menagerie wrote a fantastic article on the subject.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=42

I think the articles button should be bigger and/or blinking. There's alot of great information there put together by members of this site, but I think it often goes un-noticed.

 

[debomb4u]

Wow i had no clue that they would even touch any of that!!

By the way you have a 10 gal with only 1 crayfish inside?? I was actually going to get one when i got my tank but everyone i talked to said that they might kill my fish. What do you feed it?

 

[QTOFFER]

From what I've read, crayfish belong in a species-only tank. It would only be a matter of time before they get lucky and catch a passing fish. If you want one, get a 5 gal tank, a decent HOB or corner filter, an air pump, and an airstone. They don't do well with a heater. I originally had two crays, but one died during a molt. I'm planning to get another soon. Two is the max I can safely keep in my 10 gal - any more, and there would be cannibalism.

As for what they eat....anything! Veggies, shrimp pellets, sinking wafers, flake, frozen...you name it! They're scavengers by nature and are not at all picky. It's too bad that they require cooler water, and that can't be trusted in a community tank. They really would make an excellent clean-up crew.

 

[debomb4u]

Wow thats cool i'll look into getting one but i'm more interested in a bigger tank like a 30-55 gal.... but untill i move it wont be a good idea so i'm researching what fish and what equip to get.

Are they active at all? I've seen wild ones on beach shores and they just kinda sit there. How long do they live?

 

[greenmaji]

I would think they would do well, the crayfish, in a tank with natives in it.. like sunfish or flagfish.. they would be big enough to keep form getting eaten and I know the sunfish does well in cool water.. the ones Ive seen in creeks are FAST when they get moving.

 

[Menagerie]

I also have a cryfish in a 10 gal. She hangs out as close to the top sensing for food (at least that's what she tells me). She's quite a beauty BTW~they are escape artists!

 

[Guest]

Wow i had no clue that they would even touch any of that!!

By the way you have a 10 gal with only 1 crayfish inside?? I was actually going to get one when i got my tank but everyone i talked to said that they might kill my fish. What do you feed it?

Your tank is kind of overstocked as it is, don't put anything more in there!

"1 Dalmation lyre tail molly
2 Orange wag tail platys
1 Red tail shark
1 Rainbow shark
3 African dwarf frogs"

 

[RoK]

If you want to keep the fish you have know you should get a 55+ gal and move all the fish into there when it's cycled and then you can put a crayfish in the 10 gal.

 

[debomb4u]

I wasnt planning on getting any more fish.... and my tank is cycled. I dont really consider my tank overstocked either since all of my fish are still small and the frogs are usually on the bottom of the tank. I was talking about getting a crayfish before i set up my tank not now.

I've tried putting in some apple and some lettuce and my fish still wont eat any of it.

 

[greenmaji]

your fish will get bigger its a fact..
there is a thread that debunks the myth about fish staying as small as there tank..
you might want to read it..
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=52676

 

[debomb4u]

I have read that and i know they will get bigger but they are small right now. And the biggest that they will get will be 6 inches ( the sharks). So when they get a little bigger i will get a new tank...

Hope when i'm saying this i dont sound like a jerk or like i just dont care... i do " when my molly was sick last week i spent every minute looking for ways to cure ich and the best techniques and i spent hours staring at the tank just to see if anything was going to happen"

So i do care about them and i want the best for them but a new tank will have to happen when they get bigger and when i have the money and room

Last resort would be returning them for smaller fish if they get to big and i dont have a new tank in time.

About the food has anyone tried giving their fish coconut or apricots ??

 

[Big C]

Try cucumber slices. My fish love that. Also shelled frozen peas and lima beans. Frozen corn kernels and blanched broccoli.

My guys didn't go for any of the fruits i offer them, they're into veggies big time!

 

[Guest]

Your tank is kind of overstocked as it is, don't put anything more in there!

If you want to keep the fish you have know you should get a 55+ gal and move all the fish into there when it's cycled and then you can put a crayfish in the 10 gal.

ok, honestly.. his fish will get bigger, and maybe he needs advice, but really does everyone have to be so downgrading to people here?
some of the fish you currently have will get to big for a 10 gallon, I see you know that already and plan to upgrade to a larger tank. Good Job. I just wish some people had suggested it as their opinion instead of making it sound like you need to go out and buy a new tank RIGHT NOW.

I love this site, i have found some of the most sound advice here, but Ive noticed a lot of people lately (not the advisors) have been a bit pushy with their opinions. Even if your right, you could put it in a more diplomatic statement.


sorry to rant... To answer the question.. I feed my fish Cucumbers and Zuchinni. I find they like the zuchinni the most and I attach it to a veggie clip. My pleco will eat a hole right through the middle! and then the other fish attack what's left. Its always gone by morning... If you dont have a clip, you can anchor it with a rubber band to a piece of slate or heavey ornament. Ive found my fish don't like 'moving' food. HTH 8)

 

[krap101]

i was thinking about this a couple weeks ago, but didnt want to like... be the lil guy all alone.

but yeah i totally agree with ashley... ive been seeing this alot more lately.

since i usually forget to take the zuccini out, and it usually gets all messy in the filter anyway, i stopped trying.

i tried oranges today. my bettas loved it, and so did most of my other fish

 

[Big C]

The clip is really good. My guys don't like bobbing food either, but when it is in the clip they nibble all day long. Big holes appear usually in the morning... I suspect Mr. Gold Nugget!!!!!

 

[FMJnaX]

I also use oranges with my goldfish (after seeing my LFS do it). They love it! It also appears to bring their color out a bit more, but perhaps that's just me. The vitamin C may also be beneficial.

For veggies, I use peas. My goldies won't touch anything else that I've tried.

 

[debomb4u]

ok thanks i'll try some cucumber tonight.... with a clean rubber band against a plastic plant
Just about every post i make i always get people going on about reading up on cycles or that i am overstocked.... even if i'm asking, well about what else to feed fish or about breeding fish i get lectured about cycling or stocking
so i'm use to the lectures but i measured my fish and i have right now 8- 9 inches of fish.... i'm guessing you dont count long lyre tails or frog legs but i did anyhow
and i have live plants that lower the levels a bit to
they have lots of room to swim (even though its only a 10 gal) and my levels are perfect except my nit which has always been a small fraction .25 or lower. my tap has .25 nit and it wont go all the way to zero
And i do water changes 2 times a week instead of once a week
so what i'm getting at is i dont have 8 huge full grown fish in a 10 gal with no swimming space

 

[Kerrinne]

Best rule of thumb to remember here - no matter who posts, it is all just advice. Not of it is mandatory. Sometimes people just don't have the ability to or forget to word things in a suggestion type of way.