Feeding Clown Loaches cucumber

[Gill Passman]

I've read a lot about Clown Loaches enjoying cucumber occassionally as a
treat but couldn't figure out how to get it to sink. Then yesterday hit on
the idea of plant weights. So I carefully inserted a strip of plant weight
into a chunk of cucumber and after making sure there were no sharp edges
dropped it into the tank at feed time last night.

At first the Clowns didn't touch it and just swam around searching for their
usual evening treat (varies from Sinking tablets, Algae wafers or Red
Mosquito Larvae). Then my male Gourami found the cucumber and started
tucking in. The Clowns weren't far behind....This morning they are swimming
through the hole they have created and most of it (bar the green skin) has
gone....and still tucking in to what is left.

Couple of questions here:-

1. How often should I provide this type of treat and how long should I leave
it in the water?
2. Any other ideas of what I can give them all to provide a variation in
their diet? (I'd get bored on just flakes every day)

Thanks
Gill

[Margolis]

Zuchini is more universally used than cucumber for this. But whatever.

anyway, I slice it down the middle and scoop out the heart with the pulp and
seeds. If you leave those in it creates more of a mess in the tank. I then
stick the lead plant weights through it like you to hold it down. I
wouldn't recommend leaving it in much more than 24 hours. You don't want it
falling apart too much an getting into the substrate or filter. And feed it
as often as you like. I usually do it twice a week. One half once, and
then the other half a couple of days later.


and with clowns, I would start feeding frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms if
they are still fairly small. Frozen beefheart if they are starting to get
larger. Thawed out in a cup of tank water first though. I don't much like
flake except for very small tanks with very small fish like guppies and
tetras. Even those fish prefer brine shrimp and bloodworms if they can get
it ;o)

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/20030215212142/http://www.agqx.org/faqs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq



"

[Gill Passman]

"Margolis" > wrote in message
...
> Zuchini is more universally used than cucumber for this. But whatever.
>
> anyway, I slice it down the middle and scoop out the heart with the pulp
and
> seeds. If you leave those in it creates more of a mess in the tank. I
then
> stick the lead plant weights through it like you to hold it down. I
> wouldn't recommend leaving it in much more than 24 hours. You don't want
it
> falling apart too much an getting into the substrate or filter. And feed
it
> as often as you like. I usually do it twice a week. One half once, and
> then the other half a couple of days later.
>
>
> and with clowns, I would start feeding frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms
if
> they are still fairly small. Frozen beefheart if they are starting to get
> larger. Thawed out in a cup of tank water first though. I don't much
like
> flake except for very small tanks with very small fish like guppies and
> tetras. Even those fish prefer brine shrimp and bloodworms if they can
get
> it ;o)
>
> --
>
> Margolis
>
http://web.archive.org/web/20030215212142/http://www.agqx.org/faqs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
> http://www.unrealtower.org/faq
>
>
>
> "
>
>
Thanks....I'll get some Zucchini/Courgette on my next shopping trip....I
always have cucumber round the house which is why I tried it (plus I'd seen
it in the tanks at the LFS). No worries about leaving it in too long...all
that's left is a perfect circle of green skin :-) Seems the Platys and
Gouramis enjoyed it as well as the Clowns.

I'll get some brine shrimps next time I'm at the LFS.....plus look into the
rest as well

BTW It was great fun watching them eating it....

Gill

[Dave S]

"Gill Passman" <gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk> wrote in message
.. .
> I've read a lot about Clown Loaches enjoying cucumber occassionally as a
> treat but couldn't figure out how to get it to sink. Then yesterday hit on
> the idea of plant weights. So I carefully inserted a strip of plant weight
> into a chunk of cucumber and after making sure there were no sharp edges
> dropped it into the tank at feed time last night.
>
> At first the Clowns didn't touch it and just swam around searching for
> their
> usual evening treat (varies from Sinking tablets, Algae wafers or Red
> Mosquito Larvae). Then my male Gourami found the cucumber and started
> tucking in. The Clowns weren't far behind....This morning they are
> swimming
> through the hole they have created and most of it (bar the green skin) has
> gone....and still tucking in to what is left.
>
> Couple of questions here:-
>
> 1. How often should I provide this type of treat and how long should I
> leave
> it in the water?
> 2. Any other ideas of what I can give them all to provide a variation in
> their diet? (I'd get bored on just flakes every day)
>
> Thanks
> Gill
>
I feed mine cucumber rather than zucchini/courgette, just this weekend I
tried them on courgette but my Clowns wouldn't touch it! (perhaps it's
because they're used to cucumber! FWIW, I cut a chunk of cucumber - say 2"
and tie an elastic band around the peel and slip in a small flat stone. It
then sinks to the bottom and they all tuck in.

HTH - Dave

[NetMax]

"Gill Passman" <gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk> wrote in message
.. .
>
> "Margolis" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Zuchini is more universally used than cucumber for this. But
>> whatever.
>>
>> anyway, I slice it down the middle and scoop out the heart with the
>> pulp
> and
>> seeds. If you leave those in it creates more of a mess in the tank.
>> I
> then
>> stick the lead plant weights through it like you to hold it down. I
>> wouldn't recommend leaving it in much more than 24 hours. You don't
>> want
> it
>> falling apart too much an getting into the substrate or filter. And
>> feed
> it
>> as often as you like. I usually do it twice a week. One half once,
>> and
>> then the other half a couple of days later.
>>
>>
>> and with clowns, I would start feeding frozen brine shrimp and
>> bloodworms
> if
>> they are still fairly small. Frozen beefheart if they are starting to
>> get
>> larger. Thawed out in a cup of tank water first though. I don't much
> like
>> flake except for very small tanks with very small fish like guppies
>> and
>> tetras. Even those fish prefer brine shrimp and bloodworms if they
>> can
> get
>> it ;o)
>>
>> --
>>
>> Margolis
>>
> http://web.archive.org/web/20030215212142/http://www.agqx.org/faqs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
>> http://www.unrealtower.org/faq
>>
>>
>>
>> "
>>
>>
> Thanks....I'll get some Zucchini/Courgette on my next shopping
> trip....I
> always have cucumber round the house which is why I tried it (plus I'd
> seen
> it in the tanks at the LFS). No worries about leaving it in too
> long...all
> that's left is a perfect circle of green skin :-) Seems the Platys and
> Gouramis enjoyed it as well as the Clowns.
>
> I'll get some brine shrimps next time I'm at the LFS.....plus look into
> the
> rest as well
>
> BTW It was great fun watching them eating it....
>
> Gill


To add to what Margolis already said, I remove the skin (the rind?) if
the zucchini came from the grocer. In the small closed environment of an
aquarium, I don't want any insecticides, preservatives or coatings mixing
with my water. I don't remove any pulp, and I remove any leftover after
2 days, but this is just personal practices, which you will establish
yourself, according to the quality of the zucchini available to you.

For weights, I cut the ends of about 4" to 5" of lead plant weight
diagonally (to puncture the zucchini easily). After puncturing the
zucchini near the end, I roll the lead strip inwards in a spiral so that
there are no sharp edges, and the spiral is not small enough to get any
fish caught in it. While this is typically fed to algae eaters, I used
to drop pieces at random into other tanks, to see who was interested.
You might be surprised at the variety of fish who will enjoy this
inexpensive and natural 'treat'.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Elaine T]

Dave S wrote:
> "Gill Passman" <gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk> wrote in message
> .. .
>
>>I've read a lot about Clown Loaches enjoying cucumber occassionally as a
>>treat but couldn't figure out how to get it to sink. Then yesterday hit on
>>the idea of plant weights. So I carefully inserted a strip of plant weight
>>into a chunk of cucumber and after making sure there were no sharp edges
>>dropped it into the tank at feed time last night.
>>
>>At first the Clowns didn't touch it and just swam around searching for
>>their
>>usual evening treat (varies from Sinking tablets, Algae wafers or Red
>>Mosquito Larvae). Then my male Gourami found the cucumber and started
>>tucking in. The Clowns weren't far behind....This morning they are
>>swimming
>>through the hole they have created and most of it (bar the green skin) has
>>gone....and still tucking in to what is left.
>>
>>Couple of questions here:-
>>
>>1. How often should I provide this type of treat and how long should I
>>leave
>>it in the water?
>>2. Any other ideas of what I can give them all to provide a variation in
>>their diet? (I'd get bored on just flakes every day)
>>
>>Thanks
>>Gill
>>
>
> I feed mine cucumber rather than zucchini/courgette, just this weekend I
> tried them on courgette but my Clowns wouldn't touch it! (perhaps it's
> because they're used to cucumber! FWIW, I cut a chunk of cucumber - say 2"
> and tie an elastic band around the peel and slip in a small flat stone. It
> then sinks to the bottom and they all tuck in.
>
> HTH - Dave
>
>
I usually use a suction cup clip for veggies because there's no space on
the substrate in my tanks to put anything.

Clown loaches LOVE live blackworms, as does almost every other fish.
Clowns will come up to the surface for the worms and eat them from a
worm feeder or catch them as they fall from your fingers. Blackworms
are a rich food and will fatten up thin clowns and help normal ones grow
faster.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><