Feeding Fish Vegetables

[slimeneo]

So I've read that fish can eat lettuce, so I put 2 small leaves of romaine hearts lettuce (the kind you get in a bag, ready to eat). I didn't blanch it beforehand, which I probably should have done...

I was just wondering how long I can leave it in there. I've looked online and some sites say 2 hours max, or it pollutes the water but other sites say the fish will only eat it when it gets softer after a day. My fish have nibbled a bit on them but I think it's still too hard for them to eat.

So how long can I really leave it in the tank before it pollutes my water? And if I want to feed them cucumbers, do I have to blanch it too? Thanks!

 

[Bugdozer]

I find if you don't blanch things, nothing eats them, be it snails or fish or shrimp. So probably a good idea. Not sure how long you should leave it in though.

 

[fishprotector]

I feed my Plecs Courgette and blanch it for a few minutes then leave it in the tank for up to 24 hours (normally it doesnt last that long though ).

My fish get peas and sweetcorn. I normally cook this with my veg for tea and in it goes. Again, that is normally gone within a few hours.

 

[slimeneo]

Ah okay, I saw them poking at it when I put it in this morning but seems like they've lost interest. I think I'll take it out tomorrow morning then. Thanks! I'll try feeding them blanched cucumber tomorrow

 

[raptorrex]

So I've read that fish can eat lettuce, so I put 2 small leaves of romaine hearts lettuce (the kind you get in a bag, ready to eat). I didn't blanch it beforehand, which I probably should have done...

I was just wondering how long I can leave it in there. I've looked online and some sites say 2 hours max, or it pollutes the water but other sites say the fish will only eat it when it gets softer after a day. My fish have nibbled a bit on them but I think it's still too hard for them to eat.

So how long can I really leave it in the tank before it pollutes my water? And if I want to feed them cucumbers, do I have to blanch it too? Thanks!

for fresh veg, i just cut it and drop it in. and leave then till they are eaten.

there is a good argument for feeding "cooked" veg. it terms of the fish getting access to the maximum nutrition.
but, as each cut looses nutritional value, so does cooking it in a pan. all the goodness is in the water/air, by then.

mind you . tinned veg are a great food for many of our fish. just make sure they have no added salt.
they get eaten much quicker, and the fish gets far more from it.

it was something suggested to me, by NMONKS. both research and experience, very much backs up his view.

lol, same goes for Humans too. tinned veg are very much better for you, than most home cooked, would be.
even though it seems counter-intuitive.

but, if you do it yourself, I'd back Bugdozers view.

 

[Moby-Krib]

Raptorrex is dead on of my own take here..I think as he can be as confusing to some, as I know I am too.
I never blanch, ever, I cut, "sometimes" peel and weight (to keep sunken) my offerings,
I remove within 24 hours if not fully eaten, (always a skin or a rind to be removed), I don't worry about fouling water as I do this daily, constantly, with out fail.
and have for over 2 years.
I would not recommend such long sinking in a freshly cycled tank as it would possibly mess with parameters, but in a mature healthy tank, Game on.

I should take pictures of what my 10" whip-tails do to a 1"+ round of zucchini in 24 hours.. and a added picture of the tank they live in. Clearest water you will find.

I feel if I cook it (and I never will) I shortened it's viability / heightened the chance of it going bad b4 eaten.. not to mention the loss of nutrients.
I do offer to my Cichlids on the day after "fasting" day and get a species dependant response no matter the veg.Mbuna especially , Aulonocara seem not to care much for the fare, Haps are a mixed bag.


.

 

[raptorrex]

who, me confusing? surly not. lol
I would also suggest "snapping" as opposed to cutting. (or even peeling, as much of the useful food, and fibre is in the skin.) for the same reasons as not cooking.
yes, i know i said cut. D'ho my bad there.
I know its not a totally accurate analogue, but think of the strands within the veg, or any food, like a string of sausages.
snapping/pulling would, more often than not, result in the sausages parting on the twist, that separates them.
but still retaining all the sausage contents.
cutting, randomly, would result in some content being spilt.
same is true of veg.

its what is lost in the process that counts. remember, much of the veg, we give, is competitively low in value.
some nutrients and vitamins are lost to air, some to water. reducing this loss is key.
which is why tinned/canned veg is so good. as the veg is cooked in a sealed can. no nutrients are lost. indeed, they have chance to permeate, back into the veg. as they sit in the tin.

the above is even more important for us humans.
we've been cooking so long. many of us would starve (even with plenty of food), if we lost the ability to do so.
we simply no longer have the bacteria and enzymes to digest uncooked food. well in the time it takes it to pass through the system.

in effect, our cookers have become our first, of two, stomachs.
or, more accurately, the first part of the human digestion process.

 

[willowstwin]

I give my fish and shrimp peas which they love. I get the peas, stick them in a cup, add boiling water for about 2 minutes, then take the "shell" off and drop the little halves in. The peas last seconds with my ryukin, and 1 - 2 hours max with my shrimp.

My LFS puts corgette (zucchini?) in the tanks with the plecs and they demolish it!

 

[Clarousel]

[/i]its what is lost in the process that counts. remember, much of the veg, we give, is competitively low in value.
some nutrients and vitamins are lost to air, some to water. reducing this loss is key.

just like to add that though vegetables (and fruit) do lose nutrients and vitamins to the air, it doesn't happen instantly. Rather, it happens over 2-3 days and they only lose up to 25% of the total nutrients. When they do, they'll already be rotting so don't worry about it

 

[raptorrex]

actually, no it doesn't. it happens instantly.
but, obviously, only from "sausages" that have been split.
that in un-split "sausages" it will, as you say, take some time to migrate.

in higher value foods, the loss, is less damaging.
but in veg and fruit, a very large proportion is lost just in prep and cooking/blanching.

 

[slimeneo]

Well, seems like my fish need really soft food.. I don't think I blanched the cucumber long enough, they picked at it though (I had to hold in on top of the tank because they aren't used to eating at the bottom of the tank). How soft does it have to be?!

 

[Dazzler666]

Cucumber i put in as is, in that a thick slice with a blunt skewer and place in the substrate. All my fish go mad for it & eat the middle from it. Not so keen on courgette though!! Lol.
Also with peas, i do boil mine (as i eat them too!! ) then remove the skins and put them in the tank and again, my fish go mad for them.
That said, ive read some mixed views about carrot, etc ... What other veggies to people put in there tanks just to hopefully give us all some help/advice?!

 

[Yanks15]

I give my Mbuna peas and Romaine lettuce. The peas I blanch but the Romaine I put in the freezer for about a half hour before going in. I let it come back to room temp before putting it in and seems to soften it. I was also wanting to give zucchini/cucumber but wasn't sure about the blanch or not-blanch process. It seems to not blanch.


Thanks,
Steve

 

[slimeneo]

I left the cucumber in for awhile, they ate it happily. Remove the seeds though, because they don't eat those. I blanched the cucumber though. I will try freezing the romaine, thank you!

 

[slimeneo]

I tried freezing the romaine just now- it really does soften it a lot! but the fish seem to have problems biting it off still- it is actually a bit hard to rip off. I ripped them a couple of small mouthfuls and they ate them haha