I've taken sweet pea pods straight from the freezer, thawed them in warm tap water, removed the peas (and ate 'em... yum) and tossed the outer skin into the tank. It sinks right to the bottom and my full-sized female bristlenose can't get enough of it. The sweet peas have lots of carbs and energy for her and between that, standard Hikari algae tablets, and her love affair with blanched broccoli, she stays very fat and sassy. ^__^