How to feed orange to fish

[FMJnaX]

Hi all,

I was at the LFS last night and noticed their fish were chowing down on orange rings. I didn't get a close look at how it was secured (if even at all), but I just know that all of their fish seemed to be loving it. I decided that perhaps I would give it a shot with the guy in my avatar (since he came from that store and probably had that snack a time or two). Couple of questions now:

1) Is the orange a bad idea? Will it have a negative impact on my water params?

2) How often should I feed it? Once a week, every other week, daily, etc...

3) Can I just float a small ring (more like a quarter of a ring I suppose) or does it need to be secured. I vaguely remember the ring at the LFS was moving around so I think it was just floating, but I'm not sure.

4) Anything else I should be worried about?

Thanks!

 

[Billsgate]

I sometimes feed my fish a tiny piece of fruit. Oranges I've tried and they seem to enjoy it. I just take a part, remove the 'skin' (transparent thing wrapped around each part), and throw in a small piece. My fish only seem to suck the juice out, but they don't eat the skin.
I imagine you can just let the ring float.
I would take it out after a day or so, don't want it to start going smelly on you
HTH!

 

[FMJnaX]

That helped a lot. I had no idea about the skin.... and after you mentioned it, it makes perfect sense. The goldies at the LFS were actually tearing off chunks, but the tropical fish appeared to just be sucking the juice, as you mentioned. I was actually thinking about only keeping it in for a few hours so it's good to know that it can stay a bit longer.

Thanks for the help!

 

[madasafish]

Interesting! I've fed my plecos apples once or twice, but never considered oranges. This does worry me a little, though. Fishes are not accustomed to the very, very high concentration of fructose present in oranges. Feeding them oranges too often may not be good for their system.

If you are interested, many ppl (myself included) feed their fish: sliced cucumber, squash and zucchini; blanched/sliced broccoli and carrot; peeled peas. These are great sources of vitamins and ruffage (if they eat the skin), and have much lower sugar levels. Especially if you have bottom-feeding fish (e.g. plecos, otos, "algae eaters" of one variety or another, other catfish, etc.) you might consider these options.

Amongst other reasons, fresh vegetables contain no preservatives, and have not lost their vitamins to time or extreme cooking. Over all, they provide a great diet for fish, though they will never provide the essential fatty acids that some fish foods provide.

Good luck! I'd be interested to hear what your fish are receptive to.

 

[FMJnaX]

I use the peas just to keep my fish swimming right and cleaned out. I own nothing but fancy golfdish and they're prone to having swim bladder problems. I was surprised as well when I saw the orange at the LFS. I'm considering heading over there after work and asking what kind of feeding schedule they do with non-traditional fish food (like oranges). All of their fish are healthy and well kept (and actually not too badly overstocked). I think if I can get at least close to the schedule my guys are used to, then they'll be just that much better off. I already feed the traditional food (flakes and pellets) that they use (which is actually a decent brand and not the cheap stuff). I'll try a small bit of orange tonight when I get home and see how he likes it. I'll post the experience afterwards.

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

Goldfish require more vitamin C than most fish so the orange is a great idea.

 

[Big C]

My fish love veggies. I use a veggie clip with a suction cup stuck to the side of the the tank and they all go for a nibble. The best "customers" are the gourami and the angel. I also give them peeled peas and lima beans. The peas disappear in no time, the beans last a day or two but they also go.

It was very funny watching my ghost shrimp trying to get away with a half pea. He didn't go too far! The denisonii decide to help with the load, and since he was there, eat it too... the pea not the shrimp!

As madasafish said cucumbers and brocoli are very well accepted, but my guys do not eat any zucchini or squash. I also tried melon, apple, banana and strawberries with no luck.

I'll try the orange one of these days.

 

[FMJnaX]

Hmmmm. I'll have to try a selection of veggies and see what happens. For the other veggies, how do you prepare them? Cook/heat/thaw/etc.

 

[An t-iasg]

Hi FMJnaX,
I used to have a pleco, and he ate broccoli stalks, zucchini, peas, and baby spinach leaves. I bought one spinach leaf out of the bulk bin at the grocery store! The cashier always gave me a funny look as she tried to weigh one leaf!

Anyway, I used a fish-only glass measuring cup, and brought some water to a boil in the cup, using the microwave. I cut a small piece of broccoli stalk and put it in the cup, and boiled for about 30 seconds. I poked the stalk to see if it was getting soft. You want to soften it up a little but not too much. If you think it needs a little more time, keep cooking for 10-15 second increments. I then poured off some of the hot water and poured cold water over the stalk. After it was cool, I poked a hole through the stalk with a paper clip and used some fishing line and sinkers to weigh the stalk down.

For zucchini, I did the same thing, but only cooked for about 15 seconds. I cut it in a wedge shape. I didn't cook the spinach leaf at first, but the pleco didn't eat it until the next day when it must have softened, so I dipped the spinach leaf in the boiling water, using my long plant tweezers, for maybe 5 seconds.

For peas, I use frozen peas. They don't get mushy like canned peas. I filled the measuring cup about half full, put 4 or 5 peas in, and set the cook time on the microwave for 4 1/2 minutes on high. I poured some hot water off and filled the cup with some cold water to cool. After the peas are cooled, peel and discard the skin. The pea breaks up into 2 halves, and I dropped each half in the tank.

Hope this helps -- there are pics of the pleco eating veggies in my gallery.

There's also an article on this site about veggie feeding: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=42

 

[FMJnaX]

Thanks for the information and for the link (it needs to be edited. Heh)!

 

[An t-iasg]

Oh no! Ok, all fixed now!