Loaches Online Forum

How do you guys serve these vegetables to your loaches?

Do i peel off the skin of the cucumber/zuc?

Thanks

I usually just slice off a piece of cucumber, rinse it thoroughly, stick a fork through it, a put it in the tank. I've tried boiling them, but the loaches seem less interested in it if it's boiled.

cucumber here sometimes has oil applied to the skin so I peel those.

Cucumber: Wash, Slice 1/8" to 1/4" and put in the tank.
Zucchini: Wash, slice about the same and microwave until the white is mostly not white anymore, but starting to go clear. If you cook it too long, though it turns to mush too fast in the tank, so in between raw and cooked is best.
Harder squashes, pumpkin, yam: cook til tender, but dry cooking is better (bake rather than boil). Boiled, these absorb too much water and fall apart in the tank.

Is there a reason to cook the zucchini? Mine eat it raw just fine. I usually cut it up into 1" pieces and stick them on a kabob.
The bristlenose pleco's love eating the skin off and the loaches will eat the rest.

Sinks better, and I do not have to retrieve the weight.

I boil mine until I can pierce easily with a fork , and as said it sinks better .