Feeding Vegetables to Fish

[GouramiFanatic]

I'm curious to find out how many of you feed vegetables to your fish and what types of vegetables you feed. I'd like to get more into offering veggies to my fish, but I'm not quite sure what types to feed them other than zucchini for my Sailfin Pleco.

Right now I have a mixture of the following and would like input on what types of veggies would be good for them...

- Gouramis (Gold, Opaline, and Pearl)
- Black Skirt Tetras
- Bettas (2 males)
- Harlequin Rasboras
- Tiger Barbs
- Angelfish (nickle - quarter sized babies right now)
- Dojo Loaches
- Yoyo Loaches
- Julii Corydoras
- Clown Pleco
- Sailfin Pleco
- Ropefish (I know they won't eat veggies)

Also, are there any veggies that should be avoided?

Any thoughts / suggestions?

 

[Zagz]

Zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, lettuce, peas, oranges, melons (remove the seeds of course), are all good. I don't recommend leaving any of the veggies or fruits in the tank more than one day. Here is a link to an article listing how to prepare the veggies and fruits.

 

[timwag2001]

i've tried to add zuchini to my tank for my pleco but it floats and my pleco doesnt pay too much attention to whats floating up there. am i doing somethin wrong or is my pleco?

 

[Zagz]

What you need to do is get a veggie clip. Or use an elastic band to hold it to a rock or ornament. Your pleco will munch on it most at night as they are nocturnal. Check the link out for great tips on how to feed veggies to your fish.

 

[timwag2001]

what link?

 

[marchmaxima]

I feed zucchini to my ottos. I weigh it down using a non-rusting wire (just poke it through) and fishing weights on each end. I also have a peice of fishing wire tied to one end and the other end hangs out of the aquarium so I can remove it easily. Although be warned. After 48 hours it's practically mush.

 

[missileman]

I use a veggie clip (plastic clip with a suction cup, available at most pet stores)
Zuchini, (cougette for those accross the pond) frozen peas (skin removed) mushrooms, asparagus, romain lettuce, bell pepper (seeds removed) cucumber, I tried cellery once and they chewed on it but were not enthusiastic.
Most plecos are not strictly nocturnal and will gladly eat veggies throughout the day.
How long to leave in the tank? depend on the veggie and water conditions. I leave most veggies in for several days and by then most of it is eaten.
Some veggies they wont touch until it has been in there a couple of days.
Like sweet potato, they love it but wont touch it for at least 24 hours or more, I think it has to break down just a little to soften it up?
Oh, and it is not just the plecos that eat them, all of my fish will nibble on the veggies from time to time, my bela sharks and whisker shrimp especially like the peas.

 

[Samuel-Bennett]

I put some cucumber in my tank the other day but it floated, so I took it out and put a thinner slice in it, it still floated but after an hour or so it sank to the bottom where the small pleco and apple snail found it and devoured it within an hour.

I put some in yesterday and again it floated but the snail attached itself to it and let itself fall to the bottom of the tank where it and the pleco ate it again, they go mad over it.

I put peas in the tank twice now. The first time nothing was at all interested in them. Well the Mollies tried but they roll away from them. So the next time I squashed a couple between my fingers and they sink and are easier for them to eat, they seemed to enjoy that more.

I love being able to feed them different foods.

My Pleco though doesn't care what time it eats, if he wants it he'll eat all day till it's gone lol

 

[Samuel-Bennett]

Oh, I also keep reading that I should remove the seeds from cucumber, well I didn't know that so I obviously just put it in the first few times, and that's the part they go nuts over, they eat it from the inside out.

 

[Bigfoot1030]

I feed zucchini and lettuce to my Silver Dollars and Plecos. I also have a tank with an excess of Watersprite. I feed this to the Dollars as a treat, they love it.

To get zucchini to sink boil it first. Let it cool and feed. It will sink to bottom. I typically buy a whole one and cut it up, boil it and refrigerate. It lasts a few days.

 

[new2betas]

For all of you who are having floating issues with your veggies, you are blanching them first correct? I blanch mine until a fork gently pierces them and then let them cool. I have never had a problem with them floating, but I can see how if they were not cooked they would float. Just curious...

 

[missileman]

I put peas in the tank twice now. The first time nothing was at all interested in them. Well the Mollies tried but they roll away from them. So the next time I squashed a couple between my fingers and they sink and are easier for them to eat, they seemed to enjoy that more.

If you remove the skin from the pea, sorta peel it off, it will sink right away and your fish will be more eager to eat it.

 

[meegosh]

I was making some chicken salads for dinner last night and was cutting up some lettuce. I thought, what the heck, so I threw a small piece in my 30g. Within 5 seconds my Koi Angelfish had eaten it all. I kept throwing more and more in, my Diamond Tetras nibbled on it a bit but lost interest. My angel however, absolutely devours lettuce!

I tried blanching a cucumber once but none of the fish seemed interested, it was in the tank for 12 hours and no one touched it, I took it out shortly after. I guess it all depends on the fish.

 

[new2betas]

Steve - I might try this with my angels today, as they do tend to munch on my plants from time to time and usually steal the algae wafers from the cories. LOL.

 

[new2betas]

I did try it and both my angels LOVED the lettuce! It cracked me up watching them tear into it! How often should they be fed the lettuce? Is it okay to give it to them daily?

 

[meegosh]

I'm not too sure since I only tried it a few days ago. I fed some more to him last night and he gobbled it all up rather quickly. The only reason I tried it is because when I was younger a buddy owned a chinese restaurant and they had a large, probably 200+ gallon tank with goldfish that they would drop huge chunks of lettuce in. I remember them shredding it up, it was quite cool to watch.

Maybe some others will let us know how often we can supplement their diet with some greens.

 

[new2betas]

Well, I hope daily isn't bad. I have been placing one small to medium piece of red leaf lettuce in their tank the last three days and securing with a veggie clip. They just love it!

 

[Samuel-Bennett]

If you remove the skin from the pea, sorta peel it off, it will sink right away and your fish will be more eager to eat it.

The peas sink anyway, I just meant when they try and eat it they roll along the bottom of the tank lol, so I squish it a bit so it stays where it is so they can eat it lol.

I found one this morning though that had got caught in a plant and grew fur on, I went to get it out and the Mollies started eating it so I left it in for them, they took the fur off and it sank, the Apple Snail made a mad dash for it lol, ate the whole lot lol