Richard

I've read about the feeding of fruits and veggies to fish in a number of posts,but am hoping to get a definitive response on the healthiest fruits and veggies I can feed my fish..the amount in a single feeding..and the frequency of feeding fruits and veggies to fish for optimum health..also can anyone tell me which fish(Bettas..Cories..Rosie-Barbs..Serpae-Tetras..Plattie)might like thawed out green peas..and should I mash-up the peas before feeding?

chickadee

I do not know much about the others but Bettas use Frozen Peas (tiny little chunks) as a laxative. You put a single pea in the microwave or in a cup of warm water for just long enough to defrost it and then peel the skin off and take a chunk about half the size of his eye and chop it into 3 little pieces (not easy working that small I know but worth it to keep from having a constipated Betta) and put the pieces in the water one at a time on a toothpick or the end of your finger (he won't bite or if he does it won't hurt) I feed mine peas a couple times a week just to prevent a problem because that is much better than trying to correct it believe me. Bettas can and do die of constipation so this is a very good preventitive maintenance. Just make sure that this is not a meal and not fed with a meal. It is a "treat". If you feed it with a meal you will overfeed as their little tummies are only the size of their eye and by the time they get 3 or 4 pellets or 6 or 7 bloodworms in there, there is just no room for peas.

The only other fish I could comment on is the Otocinclus catfish who love zucchini and it is a mess. I just cut it (a very small one) in half lengthwise and nuke it until it is kind of soft (a minute or so) and let it cool and then it will sink. Then it takes them a day or so to decide to even start on it. I do not like to let them have it often because the tank is a terrible mess after it is in there for a couple of days. I always end up throwing away more than they eat. I have veggie clips that I put on the sides of the tank and put frest spinach leaves in them that have just been rinsed and they like those but again they let them hang there for a couple of days before they start on them.

Hope this maybe helped a little.

Rose

Gunnie

Zucchini seems to be the most popular veggie (or fruit) in my tanks. I take a slice and weigh it down with a screwcumber This link allows you to get it at their regular price, but part of the payment goes to a donation to another great website called planet catfish. Some folks peel their zucchini, but I don't. That's the favorite part for my plecos. Mine also like sweet potatoe, summer or yellow squash, even carrots. It usually only lasts about a day. I also have malaysian trumpet snails in those tanks, and they take care of any leftovers.

P.S. A lot of folks also feed cucumber, and I have in the past also. I quit feeding it though because the seeds mess up your tank, and I've read the peel is actually poisonous for humans, but we eat a much smaller amount in comparison to our body weight than our fishie friends do, so I don't think that's a good thing. There's so many other veggies out there.

Richard

Heya Gunnie..when you mention sweet-potatoes and carrots..do you mean raw?..and do these veggies and cucumbers too, provide a healthy feeding alternative to flakes,bloodworms,brine-shrimp etc?

Gunnie

I feed all my veggies raw. I don't even nuke mine. I would not say veggies are an alternative, but as an addition to a healthy diet. You need to make sure you understand what type of fish you have, and make sure they are fed the correct types of food. Even carnivore fish though can have veggies once a week, and I do this with my fish. You can feed your carnivore fish veggies more often, but they need their protein, so make sure you offer a little of both on those days if veggies are served more than once a week. The raw veggies or veggie flakes for carnivore fish really helps with bloating and constipation issues.