Nobody likes Zucchini

[Scrufdog]

I bought some Zucchini today, chopped it up into nice pieces, dropped one in the tank with a weight, and its basically being ignored. A cherry shrimp appeared to give it a nibble, but none of the fish care.

When giving zucchini to bottom'ers, should it be frozen or thawed? Anything to do to make my SAEs, Otos, or anyone else want to eat it? I'm gonna leave it in overnight and see if anything looks different with it in the morning.

 

[Kashta]

Ah, you need to steam it or blanch it... microwave it. Makes it softer for them to eat it. They also may not have had it before, so they'll have to figure out that it's food.

 

[7itanium]

I NEVER blanch or cook my zuchini in any way-- just cut it in pieces and put it on a veggie clip

you have to throw it in there about 4-5 times before they will register that its edible though.. and some fish may be picky and require it to be blanched-- but mine dont mind

 

[pinkertd]

I only blanch it for young pleco fry to make it softer for them to eat. I have yet to get an oto to eat any of it, but my SAE's who are in the tank with the plecos seem to love it. I would definitely give them several chances to figure out that it is food.

 

[Hooked Newbie]

I've always had to blanch it to get them to go for it. I did find these small seedless cucumbers that everyone went nuts for raw though. It may take them awhile to figure it out like other said.

 

[Sploke]

So far my fish have seemed to prefer it raw to cooked in any way. I just stick a fork in it to make it sink.

 

[bibbels]

You can also slice it up and freeze the slices. Freezing it ruptures the cells and makes it easier for some species to eat it. I do this with cucumber as well.
You can take a slice out of the freezer and drop it in as is or put it in a cup of microwaved water to thaw first if you like. The slices usually sink readily with this treatment as well.

 

[bettabrat]

I have yet to get an oto to eat any of it, but my SAE's who are in the tank with the plecos seem to love it.

Aww pink I bet your otos would love some, mine do!

I don't do anything special just wash, peel (paranoid I guess), and slice. I put mine on the end of a skewer (sp?) and stick it in the gravel...usually before I can get it in the tank the shrimp are going crazy! Shrimp, snails, otos, and BN plec's go crazy over the stuff...I guess they always knew it was food because I never had a problem getting them to eat it.

 

[Sploke]

I usually try to peel it too. My plecs don't seem to eat the skin, so it ends up being snail food or just floating around the tank.

 

[ksane]

You can also slice it up and freeze the slices. Freezing it ruptures the cells and makes it easier for some species to eat it. I do this with cucumber as well.
You can take a slice out of the freezer and drop it in as is or put it in a cup of microwaved water to thaw first if you like. The slices usually sink readily with this treatment as well.

Yep, exactly the way I do it. Freezing it seems to make it as soft as blanching. And it's faster and easier I've never had Otos but my Loaches & Cory Cats love it, along with the Plecs.