Cucumber question.

Cook it.

blanche it. dip in boiling water for a while then in cold water before setting in the tank.

Is it okay to use non organic cucumber or zucchini if you slice off the skin? Or does it not work like that?

Sorry to hijack the thread btw

Not a hijack, it's a good question. And thanks guys.

My favorite way to feed cucumber or zucchini: slice it and freeze it. Once it thaws, the cell walls have been broken down so it can be dunked right into the tank once up to room temp. Easy way to buy an entire vegetable without wasting it, too.

Jedi_Pizza said:

Is it okay to use non organic cucumber or zucchini if you slice off the skin? Or does it not work like that?

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Most will probably say it's not okay, but I use non-organic zucchini (I feed it every day for my otos) and I don't even peel it. Never had a problem.

I probably wouldn't do this if I had a tank of OEBT or other really expensive shrimp though.

somewhatshocked said:

My favorite way to feed cucumber or zucchini: slice it and freeze it. Once it thaws, the cell walls have been broken down so it can be dunked right into the tank once up to room temp. Easy way to buy an entire vegetable without wasting it, too.

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Does it sink straight away? I hate having to weigh it down with a rock

I use non-organic and a peeler. Works just fine. My hold down method is a little complex, but works well for me. I fill a small water tight tube with magnetic material and rubberband the cucumber or blanched zucchini to it. After a day or two I remove it through the glass with a neodymium magnet.

I really like the freezing idea though. Will have to try that.

Never used "organic" veggies, and have never had a problem. I blanch frozen and fresh store bought veggies before putting them in.

Thanks everyone, I think I am going to go with a quick peel, slice and freeze.

@shyshrimpdoc, haha, that's very clever, I bet it looks like some sort of vegetable elevator

Definitely freeze all veggies first. One, you can buy more and keep them longer and two, like Jake said, it helps them sink better.

What I do is put any veggie except peas, corn and lima beans into a glass of water and microwave it for about five minutes (more like 8 for tough stuff like kale), so it boils for a while to really soften it up. I've found that no critter will eat a veggie if it's not near mush. Then into a glass with ice and cold water to cool. I still find it hard to get leafy veggies to sink, especially if there's any current in the tank, but the shrimp figure it out.

I dont have the spare cash to spend on organic stuff for my family, so I certainly don't feed it to my shrimp.

-Lisa

i found that using a bamboo skewer worked well

i lodged in to a bit of the driftood to hold the skewer i didnt peel the cucumber or freeze it just skewered it and dropped it in

lasted over a day and all that was left was a clear skin that now looked like tape lol

well, I'm lucky enough to be in an area with a farmer's market and a decent grocery store. I'm very grateful, as veggies are some of my favorites. Thanks for the advice.

I cut it in to small pieces (2-3cm cubes) and throw it in the tank.

Putting them in the fridge or blanching them looses a lot of the vitamins within. I put small pieces and just let them finish them off, sometimes taking up to 24 hours, but never had any issues. They actually seem to love it more then most veggies.

I grow them in my backyard, so I know they are organic, but I still take off the skin.