How can I make them eat their vegetables?

[mollybabes]

I know some people feed their fish vegetables, like lettuce and zucchini, and I've tired that, even apples and they don't like them. If I anchor it in the gravel, they ignore it, and if I let it float about the tank, they ignore it until it floats towards them they they 'run' away. So how can I get them to eat it? does it need to be more 'flavorful or something? should I cook it in soup? (just kidding)

[125gJoe]

What kind of fish do you have?

[wetmanNY]

It needs to be more familiar.

[mollybabes]

mollies, danios, algae eaters, swordtails, pictus catfish and a dojo loach. I know the catfish and loach won't likely eat the vegetables, though, but I thought the others would.

[Skittyfish]

I always boil my zuchini for about 2-3 minutes and then peel the green off, tie it to a rock and sink at just before the lights go out. In the morning usually my ottos or pleco will be stuck to it. Even my Mollies would peck at it.

[Sumpin'fishy]

The best way to get them to eat all their vegetables is not to give them dessert until they do!;)

Seriously though, don't feed them for a couple days and use something like zuccini or squash, or even try a variety like zucc and fresh spinach leaves at the same time. Don't add any more food for about 3 days (unless they eat it all) Then feed them for a week and do it again. They will eventually get used to the veggies! And even if they want to be knuckleheads (like my Jack Dempsey) and not eat any, the lack of food for a few days won't hurt them. They can go a couple of weeks minimum without food, as long as they were healthy when you started. My fish now readily eat veggies (except JD, which only eats frozen and live foods now. He nibbles a bit when I'm not looking though). He usually eats about twice (maybe 3 times) a week and fasts the other days waiting for something interesting to eat. He's in great health and shows amazing colors.

I now have added 4 Silver Dollars to my Jack Dempsey, Blackbelt, and Blue Crawfish tank. All except the JD will eat any veggies available now that I've gotten them used to them. I used to have to pick out all kinds of uneaten veggies (just nibbled on), but now it's all gone within 2 days, sometimes 1 day. I also add pellets/flake with the veggies in the tank, and it all gets eaten just fine.

[NJ Devils Fan]

People usually put veggies in for fish like plecos, not mollies and other mid-upper tank swimming fish.

[wetmanNY]

You wouldn't figure a Ram for a veggie eater, any more than a Jack Dempsey. My Ram has to sneak up on the zucchini slice that's hogged by a Sturisoma busy fending off Farlowella and Otos. He darts in, rips off a seed and is gone before Sturisoma can react..

Barbs tear into spinach like Piranha on a goat (myth myth, I know I know).

I roll up undressed salad greens in a cloth into a cigar shape and freeze it. Then I can slice nice scrolling bits off the end without defrosting.

Sumpin'fishy's got the technique: leave it in there til they finish it. So, don't put in too much veggie in the first place...