View Full Version : Ottos, Plecos and Zuchini
Skittyfish
02-08-2003, 9:24 PM
I had never fixed zuchini before, so the other day at Wal-Mart I bought a zuchini and some fresh spinach. I cut two little slices of zuchini about quarter of an inch thick, boiled them in water for a couple of minutes, tied them to a rock and threw them in the water. It was amazing, my Ottos attacked the zuchini like they were starving, by the time they finished it off (the next evening) their little bellys where pouched out. The Pleco (about 2 inches) finished off a whole slice on his own. Tonight they are getting fresh spinach, one cooked leaf to each tank. Hope they like their dinner.:D
OrionGirl
02-08-2003, 9:46 PM
They will love you for it. I prefer freezing--really, the only reason anything needs be done is to prevent it from floating, so soaking it overnight in water will get the same results without losing nutrients.
NJ Devils Fan
02-08-2003, 10:57 PM
When I feed spinach, I usually keep it in the freezer for some time before I blanch it, then put it in the tank.
I've got two clown pl*cos in a 55g tank and the only time I ever see them is when I put in the zuccini in the tank... My GF have come to like it too...
Skittyfish
02-09-2003, 2:34 PM
My pl*co is making short work of the Spinach. The gold rams also seem to like it. Happy Eating!
Sumpin'fishy
02-09-2003, 8:41 PM
What does it mean to "blanch" zuccini?
I am trying to accustom my cichlids to eating some veggies and it's a slow process, but my Blackbelt does eat a few bites of anything I put in there. Tonight I tried placing a slice of zucc in a veggie clip and shaving the skin off it. A few hours and no nibbles yet! Any tips to get my fish to eat more veggies. I guess I could try telling them that they don't get dessert unless they eat all their veggies!;)
Skittyfish
02-09-2003, 8:48 PM
I just boiled my in water for about 3 minutes, minus skin. My fish sort of ate a bit at first, but as it softened they ate more. I also tied mine to a rock and dropped it to the bottom.
Blanch means to boil lightly, say for a minute. There are two reasons for doing this. One, it makes the food sink, and two, it will kill any surface bacteria that may be on the food.
Feeding veggies is a matter of acclimating your fish. I have two GF tanks and in one they eat lettuce and spinach and in the other, well, they just ignore the leaf stuff. One way to acclimate the fish is to let them get a little hungry. Don't feed them for a couple of days and then feed the zucchini. Don't be afraid to let it sit in your tank for a couple of days. if you are worried about your water quality, do a 20% water change after a day. Do this a couple of times and you'll get them eating the veggies....
Val
Forum221
02-09-2003, 10:03 PM
What is a GF tank?
TrashmanTodd
02-10-2003, 11:08 AM
Hey All,
Heck, I don't even peel mine. I just drop a slice into the tank, and by morning it's gone.
Todd:)
OrionGirl
02-10-2003, 11:09 AM
I don't peel the zucchini either--that's usually the first thing that gets eaten!
GF stands for gold fish.