How often for veggies?

[mhmh]

My fish (and a blue lobster) love blanched spinach, zucchini and carrot slices, and corn niblets with the "skin" squeezed off. Can I keep vegetables in the tank at all times or would that fill them up and prevent them from eating healthier "normal" food?

[Sumpin'fishy]

I wouldn't leave veggies in the tank till they are finished. Put in just enough to feed them for one day. I personally am a big fan of varied diets. There shouldn't be anything wrong with just veggies (very natural diet for them) but I'd add some staple food in there too, just to give that extra supplement.:D

BTW, you didn't specify what kind of fish you have. Some require diets with high protein. Most will benefit with veggies in diet though.

[OrionGirl]

A varied diet is great, and as long as the veggies are not decaying and polluting the tank, there's no problem with having them always available. In the wild, fish will eat as it's available, so it's not a problem otherwise.

I would suggest supplementing their diet with meatier things, especially the crawdad.

[mhmh]

I primarily feed them real food like flakes, frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms, a few shimp pellets and sinking crab pellets. I just wanted to make sure that eating the veggies wouldn't make them bypass their real meals. (Fat chance-they're ALWAYS hungry at meal time :) )

FWIW, in my 90 gallon I have in addition to the blue crayfish: rosy barbs, cherry barbs, serpae tetras, black phantom tetras, tuxedo angels, orange swordtails, turquoise gouramis, glass catfish, clown loaches, dwarf plecos and a pictus catfish.

Thanks for the advice.

[wetmanNY]

Veggies help lower the percentage of protein in our fish diets, which is on the high side-- thanks to our pressure on the manufacturers in the first place. Growing fish need more protein. Big fish need fewer meals...

A couple of links to nutrition are at www.skepticalaquarist.com "Feeding" Check it out. I only know what the scientists tell me...

[Dabbler II]

Wetman : Just to make sure I understand what you said at your web site. Leave the veggies untill they are finished off. This won't cause cloudly water? My Pleco and my black ruby barbs just love the zukiney (sp:( ) and they will eat it all day if I let them :D

[mhmh]

I found this on
The Skeptical Aquarist (http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/), click on "Vegetables" under "Feeding" on the frame on the left:

"It is impossible to overfeed a tropical fish with vegetable matter. Ever. Any fish. Every omnivorous fish that will nibble at greens should also be given a round-the-clock chance to be grazing on vegetables, just as much as the pure vegetarians who depend on them. It is surprising how many aquarists eliminate plants from tanks where plant-nibbling fish are going to be housed, but don't think to provide substitute greens."
The article goes into more detail, and I found it to be very interesting.

[Richer]

I leave veggies in my tank for days on end. I've never had a problem with water quality.

-Richer

[Dabbler II]

Ok sounds good, I still have cloudy water I just wanted to make sure it wasn't the veggies causing it. Must be a bacteria bloom i'll just wait it out.