Strawberries?

[Ch4rlie]

I just finished feeding my platy pair some strawberry. I started with the red inside near the seeded part, just without the seeds, and they ate it right away. I tried again witht the white part of the strawberry and then seeded part but they didn't touch it so I took it out. My fish are fine, just watch them when you feed them new things,and a piece of strawberry every once in a while will not hurt them.

 
Good to know, though have to let you know this thread is 8 years old now and doubtful anyone will response.
 
But do keep up replying from your experiences, good for others who may read this

 

[Ichthys]

Do plecs eat cucumber and courgette in the wild?

What kind of fish are we talking about?

I have 5 spp of silver dollar types. They all absolutely love sunflower seeds. They also eat lettuce, dandelions, UK native yellow poppies, and most veg (with whole plants they go for the flowers, buds and roots first). I've tried different plants and although none are 'natural' to them, they're very discerning. I feed them various fruit very occasionally- strawberries and blueberries (home grown), apple, pear... they eat them all.

Cucumber I believe is grown with more chemicals than any other fruit or veg except apples. I try to use organic, or if not I give it a good rinse before use.

 

[Baccus]

Even an old reserrected thread can be informative, and I think I will have to add a few other plants, fruits and leaves that people have found to be safe for fish and shrimp to eat.
Pumpkin- can improve the fish and shrimps colour
Carrot- can improve fish and shrimps colour
Banana
Chilli - the red in it helps intensify colours of the fish and shrimp
Garlic- helps appitite and medical qualities
Watermelon
Ice cream Bean fruit
Seaweed Nori sheets- the ones used to make sushi rolls.
ti-tree leaves
rose leaves and petals
nastursiums
paperbark leaves
silky oak leaves
Indian Almond leaves- also medical uses
She oak leaves and cones
Grevelia leaves and branches for structure in the tank.
And cheese of all things which a lot of people use as bait when fishing.

 

[Ichthys]

Oh.

Fair enough.
Sweet corn
Boiled rice
Sunflower seeds (dollars and larger plecs would eat these)
Potato - I bought a tank that came with a 16" Panaque. It ate as much carrot, potato and cucumber as the average person, lol.
More in fact.

 

[Bubbelzzz]

It might be a good idea to create a sticky for this subject.
 
I want to add some as well:
paprika
coconut
walnut leaves
Brussels sprouts
nettle
 
It appears that shrimp and some fish even eat raw spaghetti
 
@ Baccus, saw you also indicated chilli as possible food. Is this save? As far as I could remember it contains poison.

 

[Baccus]

A shrimp breeder in Australia feeds his shrimp chilli along with Kale, Bananas and I am guessing a lot of other stuff. Just always make sure any foods given have been grown organically.

 

[NickAu]

 
Do plecs eat cucumber and courgette in the wild?

Not unless some farmer dumps a truckload in the water they live in. In the wild fish have many sources of food fiber and other vitamins and minerals, In a fishtank they do not, And you cant always rely on fish food makers IMO,  So we supplament that by giving them safe vegies to eat.
 
A few years ago a friend of mine used to work at Frisk***  Pet care ( they make dry pet food ) and she told me that the fish food was just the dust and leftovers from the production of dry cat and dog food.
 

 
Indian Almond leaves- also medical uses

Yes great food and the tannins are good for the fish/shrimp.
 
My shrimp also love cooked shelled pea. Its fun to watch a shrimp pick up a big chunk of pea and run off under a log with it.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Not all fish food is the same, and as with what we feed ourselves, we need to be careful about what we feed the fish.  The cheapest option isn't usually the best.

 

[daizeUK]

I would love to see a stickies thread with a consolidated list of fruit and veggies that are safe for fish to eat. Flutter moth is usually a wealth of information on the subject for one. For example I think I remember reading that avocados arent safe and certain things need blanching first. We need a definitive reference for this stuff.

 

[Bubbelzzz]

Do plecs eat cucumber and courgette in the wild?
 

 
Well, actually some of them do eat fruits in the wild. Think about fruits and seeds falling into the river from branches located above the water.
 

A shrimp breeder in Australia feeds his shrimp chilli along with Kale, Bananas and I am guessing a lot of other stuff. Just always make sure any foods given have been grown organically.

 
I thought that chilli was spicy because of the poisons that are in them naturally.
 

 

[Ichthys]

"Do plecs eat cucumber in the wild?"

This was more a rhetorical question, to counter the argument "don't feed items they wouldn't eat naturally" that has been voiced a few times on this thread.

But yes there are fish that eat flowers, fruit and seeds, I've kept a few and have some now.

The cheaper dried fish foods are rarely any good, but similarly the dearest ones are not necessarily the best.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

"Do plecs eat cucumber in the wild?"

This was more a rhetorical question, to counter the argument "don't feed items they wouldn't eat naturally" that has been voiced a few times on this thread.

But yes there are fish that eat flowers, fruit and seeds, I've kept a few and have some now.

The cheaper dried fish foods are rarely any good, but similarly the dearest ones are not necessarily the best.

 
Agreed... price isn't directly related to quality... but there are differences in foods in terms of quality, as there are with all foods, including those for intended for humans.