Just how do you prepare spinach?

[mikev]

I wonder if there is any trick or any particular instructions on how to prepare spinach for hillstreams?

I tried this today for the first time (baby spinach, boiled for 3 minutes to soften, anchored on the ground for easy sucking) and I'm not getting any interest from the fish (very slight interest from Sewellia, everyone else ignores it).

Is there a trick perhaps?

TIA

[Jim Powers]

I have been doing this for several years and this is my method:
>Boil water
>Take spinach or kale leaves, rinse well and place in a bowl.
>Pour enough boiling water to cover leaves completely.
>Cover bowl and let stand for about 20 minutes or so.
>You can add a little more of the boiling water after about 10 minutes to keep the water hot. I also put hot pads or a towel on top to keep the heat in.
>Take the leaves out, rinse gently to cool.
>Anchor the leaves on the bottom of the tank.
>Stand back and watch the hillstreams eat.
>It sometimes takes the fish up to a day to get interested in the leaves. Perhaps they like them to soften a bit more. Most of the time, however, they don't wait that long.
Sewellia, P. cheni and fasciatus, and L. disparis are particularly fond of this. I have never seen any Gastros, beaufortias, Sinogastromyzon or homalopteras show any interest.

[mikev]

Thanks Jim!

Sounds like another important step is to leave the room and slowly come back....I do have a Sewillia seriously working on it now. No interest from anyone else, including the Chenis and BN's.

I will use your technique next time (thank you!) --- pretty sure it will create softer food than what I did.

---

A little darnit: I was actually hoping for the Gastros to eat it. Of all the hillstreams here they seem to have the most need for extra nutrition....Sewellia's eat pretty much everything anyway.

[Jim Powers]

I was surprised that Gastros wouldn't touch it considering their love of algae. Mine seem to get plenty to eat, though, as they eat bloodworms, brine shrimp, shrimp pellets and algae wafers.
Sewellia seem to like it even more than chenis and disparis.

[mikev]

Weird stuff (who eats it and who doesn't --- exactly the species that breed).....

Something said by Frank makes me almost certain that Vannies will eat it too...I'm going to try this later....

[YellowFinned]

I have been doing this for several years and this is my method:
Boil water
Take spinach or kale leaves, rinse well and place in a bowl.
Pour enough boiling water to cover leaves completely.
Cover bowl and let stand for about 20 minutes or so.
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Does it have to be boiling water, or does the microwave method work?

[Jim Powers]

I think boiling water works best.