afraid that this is bloat

Hi Wendy,
Happy to hear Bebe is looking OK, and yes you can definitely feed the zucchini and cucumber raw, it won't break down and foul the water as fast as it does if it's blanched. The veggie clips work great, you can also push the handle of a stainless steel spoon through the veg to make it sink.

Personally I don't use canned veg too often, I just feel fresh or frozen are probably healthier, and again they don't break down as quick. Frozen peas are easy to deshell and a small bag will last indefinitely since you only need a few at a time.

When you get your veggie clip, give raw dark greens a try too- spinach, romaine, lettuce, kale, etc. I've yet to find any my guys don't love. They love a little piece of cantaloupe as a treat also.

Basically I feed the veg and greens as their main diet, and algae wafers, spirolina flake, or dried marine algae as a supplement 2 or 3 times a week.

The little heaters I mentioned are made by "Hydor", but there are likely other brands too. They run $10 to $15. Good luck with your little guy.

This probably isn't the smartest question but in regards to the frozen peas - do you just boil them for a few minutes and then shell them?
Thanks!

Nope, just run some tepid water over them for a few seconds after you take them out of the freezer, and then pinch open a piece of the skin with the tip of a sharp knife- then you can squeeze and the still frozen pea inside will kinda pop right out. You'll see what I mean after you try it. They will be thawed by the time they reach the bottom of the tank. Definitely no cooking needed!

Actually, most frozen vegetables are blanched slightly, otherwise they would turn to mush when frozen, so many will sink. You just have to thaw and drop them in, so for one little guy you could buy a bag of mixed veggies and have a variety to offer him for a long time!

Hope this helps, keep us posted!

worked perfectly - much fresher than the canned!

Hello again. I'm still keeping a super close eye on Bebe - still worried about bloat. What does healthy poop look like?
Bebe will not eat peas or cucumber - or green beans. I've tried coating them with garlic and soaked some cucumber (and then peas) in garlic water and even when left overnight he won't eat them. He will only eat his algae wafers and is only eating one a day. I don't have visible algae in tank.
Should I be worried about any of this? Sometimes I feel like he looks a little bloated and then other times I don't.
Thank you...

Hi again,

Bebe sounds like he is just unaccustomed to fresh veg. Fish will get fixated on one type of food. I would withhold food for a day or two, then stick a half or less of an algae wafer into a piece of zucchini or cucumber. Keep feeding him his wafers that way and he's bound to eventually realize the veg is tasty too.
(The look of the poop depends somewhat on what they are eating, but what it SHOULDN'T look is white and stringy.)

Good luck with your fussy Bebe! Sarah

Hi,just keep on,don't bother with the garlic,just keep putting a slice of raw cucumber in each day and like sarah said stick half a wafer into it and see if after a week or two he/she is trying it out.Try not to worry too much,i know it is difficult after what happened to your other one but i am sure Bebe is fine.Mine love Tetra Pro veg crisps,maybe give those a go too,just put a small amount in to try at first.


Bristlenoses