Zucchini

[SkarloeysMom]

So I was trying to see if my new Otos will eat some zucchini so I cut a little piece about 1/2" long and 1/4" thick and blanched it in the micro for a bit so it would sink and put it in my 10g tank this evening. The Otos haven't shown any interest yet and I'm wondering how long I can leave it in the tank without it polluting the water. If its still there in the morning I'll probably take it out.

[Rue]

...depends a bit on the temp. of your tank...but I'd say 4 hours is definately safe...

...a quick overnight stay should be fine too...

[SkarloeysMom]

Well it doesn't look like anyone was too interested in the zucchini so I'm fishing it out. Guess I'll try again another time. The bit I used was from a really huge one from somebody's garden so maybe they'd like a smaller one.

[sergo]

i leave it my tank for no more than 48 hrs. at that point it starts to fall apart. i also keep mine in the freezer and only thaw it before putting it in the tank. my fish typically don't mess with much in the first 24 hrs but after that they end up eating damn near all of it before 48 hrs. my clown plecos love the skin of it and come out as soon as i take my hand out of the tank.

[Abbeys_Mom]

I put my zucchini in raw. My fish have never had any problems with the hardness of it. It makes it less likely to fall apart. Back when I bred Guppies I used to put Zucchini in the tank to help soften the water a bit, it would make the females drop their fry.

[sergo]

I used to put Zucchini in the tank to help soften the water a bitwhat? i have never heard of this before.

[SkarloeysMom]

Zucchini GONE! Well, I guess I don't have to go fish it out now. It sat there all night and was there this morning when I turned on the light and I guess because I was a little slow with the flakes this morning the pigs, I mean the guppies, probably snarfled down the whoe piece of zucchini that was in there. I'm hoping that the Otos got a couple of bites. Still haven't seen them doing to much but the algae does seem to be slowing disappearing. These Otos look very healthy but they are same as other other two I had, I mostly see them just hanging around doing nothing - a totally different work ethic than the Panda corys!:hmm3grin2orange: Maybe they just work nights.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

I always found zucchini was a "night" food.
Even though it was mostly for my bristlenoses, the platies and even the female Bettas definitely used to contribute to its disappearance, evidenced by their faeces.

[Lady Hobbs]

You should see my loaches on a slice of zucchini. All 7 loaches are after it. I par-boil it for a minute to get it to sink and generally add to the tank at night.

Sometimes it takes fish a bit to figure out what new foods are but once they get it thru their noggin' it's something good, they tear it up.

[Mark Lathrop]

I've only had minimal success with the zuchinni, and my otto won't touch it if my platy swims by and starts pecking at it. My oto does love spinach leaves though, and only the kind you can get in the bag. He'll eat an entire spinach leaf in one day!

[SkarloeysMom]

Well, I tried zucchini againg and it didn't get eaten by anybody. I think I'll try spinach next time. I think my Otos are finding enough algae to eat and I know my pandas are eating sinking wafers so I think my bottom feeders are gonna be fine.

[Mark Lathrop]

I've left zucchinni in a tank for a couple of days before, and finally saw the oto eating it, but it took a while and I had to do a water change cause it clouded the water. I usually stick a leaf of spinach in one of my deco plants so the oto has an idea where the food will be. It takes it a day usually for it to figure out it's food, but usually it'll suck several holes in it the 2nd day, and by the third day when I come home from work, the stem will be floating around at the top and my oto with its fat belly will be lazing around in the rock cave, haha.