[MsNemoShrimp]

Went over to a local farmers market today to get some organic spinach to try out everyone's recommendation to feed organic "spinach" so all my shrimps can grow like Popeye. Lol.

Anyhow, boy is it expensive. Its close to $3 something per small bunch so I asked the gentleman who was stacking veggies if I could just have a leaf to try feeding my shrimps with. He looked at me kinda weird, but chuckled and gave me a nice piece. When I got home, cleaned it, boiled it and put it in the tank, boy did all of them swarm over it. I could hardly even see the leaf anymore after 10 minutes!

So it works! :biggrin:

Now to the bottom of the question...how could I buy a bunch and preserve it correctly to feed shrimps (over the course of a few months hopefully)?

I know they have a tendency to go bad real quick and I am not planning to waste $4 or so every week just to keep up with the diet and I only use like 1-2 leaves at the most from the bunch. (Obviously not a spinach person). Not worth my time & gas money to drive down to the market to ask for "non-sell-able" spinach pieces every week either. Not planning to feed my shrimps "reject" spinach pieces anyhow : (

There must be a way...

 

[shrimpnmoss]

I bought some Ebita Breed Spinach tabs from Mordalphus and my shrimps love them. I have heard of people boiling a bunch and rolling them up into pea size portions and freezing the portions for later use. Kinda like freeze dried bloodworms but with spinach.

 

[soc200]

I go to Krogers and buy the organic spinach that you bag yourself. I put 5-10 leaves in a bag...weighs almost nothing. It cost me $0.04 last time...never more than 10 cents depending on the scale at the checkout.

I take my 5-10 leaves and blanch them in a coffee cup of tank water in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Usually I heat the water up to boiling...then put the leaves in and microwave again for 30 seconds. Cut them up, roll them into balls, and put them in the freezer in a sandwich bag....lasts a month.

 

[mordalphus]

I just eat a lot of spinach in salad, soup or stir fry, and feed the ratty looking ones for the shrimp, lol

 

[RandomMan]

Freeze it. Wash and clean it first. Just because its "organic" doesn't mean it doesn't have stuff on it that might harm your shrimp. Then freeze it. The freezing process should also break down the cell structure, so you won't need to boil it to soften in up for the shrimp to eat.

Romaine lettuce leaves work real well too.

 

[MsNemoShrimp]

Thank you everyone for their input. Much appreciated : )

I wish we have stores here that lets us pick out and weigh what we want to buy only. That would have been super!

 

[astrosag]

Your regular grocers should have spinach by the pound, no?

 

[MsNemoShrimp]

None that I have seen thus far.

 

[mach_six]

San Diego doesn't have any supermarket that sells spinach by the pound? Well, keep an eye on the weekly circulars.

 

[MsNemoShrimp]

From what I know they might, but probably be 15-20 miles away, not worth the gas these days to save a couple dollars.

 

[Loachutus]

Don't know if these guys are for sale at your local grocery store, but I use their spinach to feed my shrimp, snails and plecos. http://www.cascadianfarm.com/products/product_detail.aspx?cat=12&upc=0-21908-50507-7 I usually get it on sale for $2-$2.50. And you'll always have some spinach around for meals, should you not have any fresh.

I use a serrated knife to scape off what winds up being spinach noodles. It's cool watching the the shrimp eating them. Looks like they're eating spinach fettuccine.

 

[MsNemoShrimp]

Thanks for the information but there is none within 20 miles : (

 

[plamski]

Costco around you? $3.99 6 MONTHS SUPPLY

 

[jasonpatterson]

I freeze spinach and turnip greens into ice cubes using an empty frozen bloodworm tray I have. Works nicely. I've also been checking a bunch of backyard greens to see whether the shrimp like them or not, and so far grape leaves and young dandelion leaves have been real hits. Obviously if you treat your lawn you wouldn't want to do this.

 

[mwebb]

How do you use the Dandelion leaves? Just drop them in or do you boil them first for a minute or two?

 

[mordalphus]

my shrimp hate grape leaves, they are too tough for shrimp to pick at, even if boiled for an hour. My snails love the grape leaves though

 

[MsNemoShrimp]

I am thinking of growing my own spinach. Any ideas/recommendation on a soil that is "shrimp" safe? : )

Interesting video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H04h-fEzZBM&feature=related

 

[OverStocked]

I am thinking of growing my own spinach. Any ideas/recommendation on a soil that is "shrimp" safe? : )

Interesting video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H04h-fEzZBM&feature=related

Anything.

 

[DogFish]

Spinach is stupid easy to grow.

You could take the domed container from one of those "broasted chickens" put potting soil in the black bottom tray, put in 1/2 package of .89 Burpie spinach seeds, water, cover with the clear dome and put on a sunny window sill and you'll have baby spinach in maybe two weeks?

When I grow it all I do is chop-up the a patch of soil in the garden, toss on a hand of seeds, rake the dirt over a little and water it once a day....THAT easy

 

[MsNemoShrimp]

Spinach is stupid easy to grow.

You could take the domed container from one of those "broasted chickens" put potting soil in the black bottom tray, put in 1/2 package of .89 Burpie spinach seeds, water, cover with the clear dome and put on a sunny window sill and you'll have baby spinach in maybe two weeks?

When I grow it all I do is chop-up the a patch of soil in the garden, toss on a hand of seeds, rake the dirt over a little and water it once a day....THAT easy

Frank, so that means before I can grow some veggies I need to eat a chicken. Sounds fair enough. Lol. Thanks for being so nice to show me how to do it. A few questions for ya.

1.) Do I need to poke holes at the base of the black tray?
2.) As far as the soil, what can I use that works well and not smell? (I live in an apartment so the smell would get to my neighbors eventually. Wouldn't want that.)
3.) The $0.89 spinach seed, perhaps at a local HD or lowes?
4.) I watched some videos earlier today and all of the videos mentioned something about soil with high nitrogen content, is that even necessary?

Lastly, I want to grow them out in my balcony, is this ok still, would it need direct sunlight or will that be to hot for it?

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :biggrin: