There was a time not too long ago that feeding fish was a time-consuming and difficult endeavor. While packaged foods existed, it was absolutely terrible for your fish – assuming that you could get your fish to eat it in the first place.
You would often find aquarists out in ponds and streams collecting live food, or spending hours creating homemade fish from their own secret recipe – which usually included some mix of meat, fish, invertebrates and vegetables.
Of course none of this is really necessary anymore, since fish foods have advanced so far. And while you don’t have to make your own homemade fish food, it’s still a good idea to offer your fish vegetables on a regular basis.
The reasons for this are simple – almost all fish in the wild have some plant matter in their diet, and as good as prepared fish foods have become, most don’t offer much in the way of plant matter to fish.
If you are going to give your fish vegetables or the occasional fruit, you need to know how to prepare and serve them to your fish. Like so much else involving aquariums, it’s not as straight forward as it sounds, and you can’t just throw a cucumber into your aquarium and hope for the best.
Cleaning Vegetables
Probably the most important thing that you need to remember with vegetables, is that you absolutely have to clean them before feeding them to you fish. Most vegetables from the supermarket are filthy when you get them. Not only are they covered in bacteria and dirt, but they can also have some pretty nasty pesticides on their skins.
Thankfully all of these contaminants are easy to deal with, and they can removed with just a minimum amount of effort. If the fruit or vegetable have a firm skin, then you can just clean it under some cool water, using a stiff brush. Make sure that you get every surface of the vegetable with the brush, and give it a good rinse afterwards.
If the vegetable is leafy, or has an irregular skin, then you should fill up a bowl with cool, clean water to clean it in. After you have filled the bowl, you should wash the vegetable as if you were washing clothes in a tub – dip and gently rub it. After you have thoroughly washed it, you should rinse the vegetable off under tap water.
Make sure that you allow the vegetables to completely dry afterwards, since you don’t want to introduce any chlorine into your tank water. If you’re concerned that the vegetable could retain water, then you should use rain water, or distilled water to do the cleaning.
Preparing the Vegetables
After the vegetables have been thoroughly cleaned, you can then move on to preparing them for your fish. Some fruits and vegetables can be fed raw to the fish, but most vegetables should be blanched prior to being offered to your fish.
The fruits and vegetables that are generally alright to serve raw are bananas, plantains, pumpkins, pears, apples, carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes. These should all be cut into small pieces before they are offered to your fish.
Most other vegetables you’ll want to blanch for your fish. All that blanching means, is bringing the vegetables to a rolling boil in a pot, and then removing them just after the water has begun to boil. Lightly steaming is also acceptable, and may actually be preferred for certain hard vegetables.
The best vegetables to blanch or steam are zucchini, squash, cucumbers (remove seeds), lima beans, peas (shell before serving), broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and spinach.
Make sure that the vegetables have completely cooled before you add them to the aquarium. Otherwise you could end up injuring your fish, since they will try to eat the vegetables immediately.
Keeping the Aquarium Clean
Even when you cut vegetables into small sections, your fish likely won’t be able to finish off the amount of vegetables that you give them. To ensure that the water doesn’t become fouled, you need to remove any uneaten portions after 24 hours. If you wait any longer, you risk your water becoming fouled.
Choosing Vegetables
If you’re unsure of what your fish will eat, there are a few general rules that you can abide by when choosing vegetables.
Peas are great for nearly any fish, and are perfect for helping to relieve a fish that is constipated. Regular feedings of peas is almost a requirement for fancy goldfish, since their compressed bodies means that they regularly become constipated. Just remember to shell the peas prior to feeding them to any fish.
If you’re just looking to get your feet wet with vegetables, one of the most widely accepted vegetables is zucchini. These are especially appreciated by live-bearers, but nearly any fish that eats plants or algae in the wild will accept these. Just slice them up into medallions, blanch and then feed them to your fish.
When it comes to offering vegetables to fancy snails, there is no question that leafy greens are a favorite. A good vegetable to get started with is romaine lettuce. It’s absolutely packed with nutrients, and its easy to prepare for snails. Just break off a leaf, blanch it, and offer it to your snails. In most cases, it will be completely devoured by morning.
Weighing Down Vegetables
Some vegetables have a tendency to float – even after being lightly boiled. There are several ways to deal with this, but the simplest way is to attach the vegetables to fish safe weight, or to buy a clip for the vegetables (you can find a great clip here at Amazon.com
I prefer duckweed and azola it would not foul the water
What about cucumber does that make the water murky?
I’ve found cucumber to be OK as long as you don’t leave it in for more than a few hours. Zucchini has far more nutrients though, and I would recommend that in cucumber’s place.
What kind of zucchini?
Just the basic zucchini works best, though any summer squash would really do. Make sure you wash it and blanch it lightly before putting it in the aquarium.
I just find that it breaks down much quicker. I believe it has a much higher water content, though I have nothing but personal experience to back this up.
Hey I have 2 plecos 1 male and 1 female I have some new born pleco but I still have some from the last batch they had will the old babes eat the new ones
Generally speaking, they will be too small to eat them. Unless they’re anywhere close to adult size, you probably don’t have to worry too much.
How can. U tell the difference between the male and female plecos
What species of pleco? Common? Bristlenose?
High finned pleco
I put a piece of cucumber in for my goldfish every now and again. They love it. I used to weigh it down but I don’t any more because chasing it around seems to entertain them, or at least enrich their environment a little, and they eat it just as quickly!
Mine love to chase around the zucchini too when I put it in their tank. They’re really dedicated eaters, and they will chase a potential meal for hours in a tank.
Can you put a slice of cucumber and a slice of zucchini in the tank at the same time, My algae eater is A good 6″ long & seems to be very happy with just 2 Algae disk in the morning & 2 in the evening.
Yes, that’s fine. Just make sure to remove the uneaten portions the next day so it doesn’t foul the water.
I put a chink of cucumber attached to a weight and a one edge of the weight is tied to a string. So it can be lifted up when needed 🙂 Actualy I put it for my Pleco. But my Barbs too are enjoying it nicely 🙂
That’s a great way to do it. Thanks for adding this idea to the thread.
Hi Robert,
I have 5 cichlids and 4 Oscars along with a pair of turtles..is it adviceable to give them Zucchini or Cucumber??
Yes, zucchini is always good for fish – especially most larger fish like cichlids. But I’d be careful about the turtles (depending on the species). They might start to get aggressive towards the fish.
I have Glo fish I am just gave them some peas and they aren’t eating it
Did you shell the peas and squish them up slightly?
I slice the cuke into a 4-5 mm wafer, remove the seeds and skin, and drop it into my 75 gal tank. My silver dollars and mollies have a great time following it around the tank. I don’t know how nutritious it is, but it sure is fun watching them!
Cucumbers and zucchini are technically are fruit.
That is true
So what
Why do you have to take the seeds out of cucumber?
The fish won’t eat them, and you’ll end up with a mess of cucumber seeds in your aquarium. They will break down over time, so it’s not absolutely required, but it’s better if you do.
They will eat the seeds if they are larger goldfish it really depends on the size of the fish.
You do not have to take the seeds out of the cucumber ? cut up a piece about a 2 in piece, wrap it around a rubber band with a stone on the bottom of it, and let it sink to the bottom… they will eat every bit of it.
You did not have to take the seeds out of the cucumber they will eat them…
How often can you feed your fish fruits and veggies?
It depends on the fish. For herbivore fish like goldfish, I try to feed them vegetables every other day or so. But for most fish, a weekly treat is more than enough. Just make sure to remove any uneaten vegetables after 24 hours or they will start to foul the water.
We have actually figured that one out the hard way…any advice for clearing it?
The only way to clear it up is through water changes. Just add new water and suck out as much as you can.
Thanks!
Can i feed the same for loaches and tetras..?..is carrot okay for this.
I’d probably avoid carrot, as it’s high in sugar and pretty tough for fish to eat. Stick with easier ones like shelled peas and zucchini medallions.
A piece of raw cucumber will never foul the tank…you can leave it in there until they eat it gone.
Great tips for a person new to the seen. Thanks a bunch everyone.
Thanks for the feedback. I’m always glad to hear I’m helping people in the hobby.
Hi! I know this is an old thread, but I’m new to the veggie scene when it comes to fish! I’ve been wondering for a bit now if peas okay for Angelfish? I currently have a single small one and he loves to snack all the time. I’ve done research and many sites have said young Angels eat about 3-4 small portions a day. I currently have tropical flakes, shrimp pellets, and dried bloodworms, but I’m interested in keeping him healthy and slim. (Unlike my glowfish skirts who are pudgy boys.) Do you have any suggestions or experience you’d be willing to share?
Angelfish don’t need much – if any – vegetable matter in their diet. While they are omnivorous, the majority of their diet is made up of small invertebrates in the wild. You should be fine if you just give peas as a treat maybe once a week. Just stick it what you’re feeding and try to give them live food whenever you can and they will be very happy.
Robert Brand,
Thank you so much for the quick response and great info! I’m glad to know he’ll be happy with the food I have and I will definitely look into getting some blood worms at some point!
I do have one other quick question, and I guess you could categorize it into the live food arena – Gravity (my Angelfish) is going to be housed with about 3-4 Platies. I’m planning on getting 1 male Platy and the rest female. This, in turn, will provide fry eventually. I’m hoping Gravity will both benefit, and be beneficial for this tank because he will help keep the fry populations down. So I guess my question is: Will I still need to provide a good bit of live food in his feedings, or will the fry activity suffice? (Of course I don’t mind getting him live food from time to time but I’m hoping this will definitely help!)
Thanks so much for your help!
As long as you’re offering regular feedings of frozen food and your angelfish isn’t one of the rarer live caught species (the ones that won’t accept flakes and prepared foods), then you should be fine.
It sounds like your angelfish is going to be very happy.
Hahaha, Gravity has already gobbled up many flakes and shrimp pellets so I think he’s going to be just fine. I’ll definitely look into some frozen foods and I’m super excited to watch him flourish. Again, thank you so much for the info! I really appreciate it! Happy fishkeeping!
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Can tropical fish eat courgettes
Yes, most fish love courgettes, but you should cut the vegetables into medallions and lightly blanche them before placing them in the aquarium.
I have goldfish, 2 African mini frogs, garaumi(misspelled) 1 gold, 2 kissing and 1 blue,tetras 2 different kind, Cory cat.in 1 tank, Can they all eat veggies?
Most of them will eat veggies. The frogs and cory catfish probably won’t eat any, but the rest will greatly appreciate the addition of lightly blanched vegetables to their diet.
Is the veg you give a substitute to fish flakes or do you feed both at same time?? thanks
It all depends on the fish. A small few are herbivores and don’t really need to be supplemented, but for most fish, I would also give fish flakes. Vegetables just help to provide much needed nutrients and fiber in their diet.
I vary the food I feed my fish. I don’t put veg in every day. i use flake, cat fish pellets, algae pellets & frozen blood worm, but not at the same time.
The veg I have used successfully are lettuce (secured to a stone with an elastic band & frozen), broccoli (with a food clip), zucchini & sweet potato (both with a piece of lead pushed through the bottom) blanched,
I don’t use lettuce anymore as there is very little benefit to the fish or cucumber as it does break down quickly & is messy.
A lot of great info! Thank you very much!
Hi all the info on here is great and very useful so thanks a lot. My question is what would be the best thing to put down for my elephant snails that my mollies, guppies, platies won’t want or is that impossible.
I think the key is too make sure there is enough to go around. I wouldn’t worry about the snails getting any as the fish usually take a while to eat any vegetables.
Hi,
I blanched some carrots and cucumbers and cool it off and store in the freeze. Next morning, i put 2 carrots and 2 cucumbers into my 3 litre shrimps tank. Afternoon when i returned home, i found my tank is cloudy. What did i do to cause this problem. I changed my water +- 50% but is still cloudy. Please advice…
It’s possible you boiled them for too long. Generally, the tank only becomes cloudy when you leave it in there too long. Try daily water changes of around 15% and it should start to improve pretty quickly.
I have a mystery snail and 6 pond snails. I put a piece of blanched lettuce in my tank and left it in for just a couple hours. The snails did not touch it. It just got caught in the current and kept floating so I took it out. How do you get it to float to the bottom for them?
If most pet stores you can buy clips that attach to the tank and will hold the lettuce. Really anything non-toxic can hold it down. Some people even use plastic forks and then remove it after 24 hours, but it certainly doesn’t look very nice in a tank.
I’ve attached a link for a simple and cheap one on Amazon
https://amzn.to/2ZKHaDj
Find a bike shop near you and go get a couple bike spokes (stainless steel) couple them together. You essentially have a long shish kabob skewer. Let it stick out the top of the tank. When taking out, no wet hands. Viola. Lol
After blanching you can put your veggies/fruit immediately in a bowl full of water with ice cubes in it. This will make them sink to the bottom of your tank as well as cool them down. As soon as the veggies/fruit sink in the bowl, they’ll sink in the aquarium.
My tropical fishes, pleco, and an otocinclus aren’t eating the cucumber I gave them. Can you please tell me why?
Do you lightly boil it before putting it in the aquarium? Also, the pleco and otocinclus might be eating it after the lights go out. Are you sure it isn’t being eaten at all?
I have started feeding my goldfish with broccolini secure with a vege clip, and they love it, all go mad on it, will have to try the zucchini ?
Hi! I found some info that details making your own flake food and it seems pretty straight forward so I’m going to try so I can have a good supply of homemade food on hand. After reading this I’m going to also incorporate some fresh for them since that’s probably better for them.
My question is this: since the fruits and veggies will be baked in order to make them dried flakes, do they still need to be blanched? Or even peeled? Or will a good wash and the low heat of the oven be enough to make it safe?
Thank you!
I’ve been making my own food for a while, and it’s a great way to really tailor it for the fish you keep. As for the blanching, it’s very important that you do it before making the food. Not only does it help get rid of bacteria and dirt, but it slows or stops the enzymes that can cause loss of flavour, texture, and colour. I would highly recommend blanching the vegetables before adding them to a flake food recipe.
Awesome! Thank you so much! I’m really excited to start feeding them healthier!!
Remove seeds? To my fish, the seeds are the best part! They won’t touch the rest!
Zucchini – widely accepted? My fish despise zucchini.
My fish are unlike other fish – they’re quite large, instead of eating fish food from the top, they wait for it to sink and then suck it all up like a Hoover.
What kind of fish do you have?
All my veg eaters go crazy for bananas. When over-ripe, I slice them into thin coins and leave them in the fridge overnight to dry out. Then drop them into the tank one at a time. My silver dollars and rose-line sharks go nuts, clown loaches, too.
Will my koi carp die when they eat small gourd ??????
It really depends on the gourd. Some aren’t mean for eating, while others like pumpkin and squash should be fine for your fish. What type of gourd do you want to feed them?
I found all this information really helpful as I keep white tip mountain minnows ,platys,guppys so I’m definitely going to try all these vegetables and fruits.
My fish love fresh squash and pumpkin . How often can I give it to them?
You can safely feed small pieces (depending on their size) about once a week. Just make sure to remove any uneaten food after about 24 hours.