Cucumbur/zucchini

[Dutchie]

This probably is a really silly question to ask but I read in several post that cucumber or zucchini is good to feed the catfish and even the Clowns.

So, in my ever caring way I bought a zucchini from the supermarket and cut a small piece the size of a 20c Australian coin. About 4mm thick.

Now, it seems to just float and goes round the tank with the flow of my filter.

Does it need to be floating or perhaps sunk?
If so with what?

Silly I know, but wife asked me to post.........

thanks heaps

 

[crazie.eddie]

You can blanch the vegetable first for about 5 minutes. This will help soak sink the vegetable a little. If you still have problems if it floating, you can use an old stainless steel spoon and piercing it through the vegetable making the spoon as a weight. Do not use a rubber band around the vegetable around a rock or something. There has been some instances of the rubber band breaking and injuring the fish or the fish accidently eating the rubber band.

 

[Dutchie]

Thanks Ed,

will take it out now and blanche it for them and see what happens.......

 

[raptorrex]

push a bit of plant lead in the veg and it will sink. there is no harm in parboiling veg, but it does get rid of a lot of good things that the veg has in it.

 

[LisaLQ]

Yep I feed it raw too, just use either a piece of plant lead to weight it down, or if you go for a bigger chunk, stick the handle of a teaspoon through it. I personally dont use the rock and rubber band method as I've heard of some fish eating the rubber band - obviously not a good thing.

 

[Dutchie]

Another silly question but what can i tie it down with.........wire, cotton, or something else?

I was thinking to tie it down with a 50 Cent coin.............

 

[mark.w.jones]

Another silly question but what can i tie it down with.........wire, cotton, or something else?

I was thinking to tie it down with a 50 Cent coin.............

Cotton is fine. If you use plant weight lead you can just bend it around it easily and you know its safe for aquarium use so I would go for that option.

 

[KimA]

Someone on here recently suggested giving in a squeeze in the tank water when you first put it in - tried it, works a treat

 

[Rhiannon]

I put mine in a mug with 2 inches of water and put it in the microwave for 20 seconds, this slightly cooks it, then I let it cool down and put it in and it drops to the bottom. I remove it the next day or it floats up.

 

[StuCarr]

For cucumber leave the skin/rind on then it sinks, remove the it when the 'flesh' is eaten
Zucchini, don't know only found out what this was the other day we call them courgette

 

[LisaLQ]

Cucumber never sinks in my tank, and my plecs eat the skin first, so it'd just float again? You could also use a "screwcumber", you can get them on Ebay, or a lettuce clip with a sucker on it for slices of cucumber/courgette - also on Ebay for dirt cheap (quid or two max).

 

[raptorrex]

Cucumber never sinks in my tank, and my plecs eat the skin first, so it'd just float again? You could also use a "screwcumber", you can get them on Ebay, or a lettuce clip with a sucker on it for slices of cucumber/courgette - also on Ebay for dirt cheap (quid or two max).

lol i dont get this screwcumber thing, you pay for a large, ish, bit of stainless and have to put all you cucumber in one place. lol if you want to do that, use a stainless teaspoon, free from most kitchen draws. plant lead allows you to place bits around the tank.

as for microwaving anything, yuk the value of any zapped food is questionable, its much worse than parboiling. and to be honest i have never seen a fish with any sort of cooker, so i would guess, raw would be better anyway.

 

[Tolak]

Long before someone cashed in on the screwcumber idea folks have been using a plain old stainless steel screw from the hardware store. It's cheap, and keeps you from getting yelled at for reappropriating the wife's silverware.

 

[raptorrex]

lol yeh, i just remind her who paid for the cutlery.

have you tried to find stainless screws in the uk? "no sorry mate dont av em" or "have to order them". or the best one, "these will do ya, there is really no difference" (translation: got some crap here needs shiftin) marine places will keep them i guess, just dont see them on the hight street, for some reason! lo that said i really like that idea!l

 

[Tolak]

Wow, that's a really lame hardware store. The one closest to me is used to seeing me every weekend, a couple of the guys always want to hear what my plans are, as they usually have to deal with the same household repairs & questions over & over. They love helping to brainstorm with my aquatics projects, and are always well stocked.