Concerns about vegetables

[whitewaves]

I've been trying to improve my 2 cat's diet by adding the vegetables recommended and they are looking healthier and fatter. However, all of the vegetables seem to cloud my water (broccoli just stinks things up.) My guy's eat during the day so I try to leave items in for only a few hours. ANY suggestions? I read about veggie clips for potatoes and zucchini so I have a few on order, but what about the frozen spinach/blanched lettuce? In my tank, it just swirls around until it gets caught in a few plants I have so the cats can't get to it. It was plugging my power filter intake and stressing the moter, but I used part of a filter sponge to cover it. The sponge is held onto the intake with a rubberband. Is the rubber band OK in my tank water? I would really appreciate some suggestions!
Thanks!

[MatsP]

I split your post from where you posted it, as you seem to have managed to make it a reply to a sticky post at the top of the forum. .

Broccoli is OK in my tanks, but obviously too large an amount will foul the water, and if the broccoli is cooked, it will break down quite quickly (and broken down cabbage type vegetables do, as you rightly note, stink).

I use teaspoons (I bought a set of 6 or 8 for £0.99 {approx $2} in a local "cheap" hardware/homefurnishing/etc shop [Wilkinsons - I have no idea what is corresponding in America, but I'm sure Walmart, K-mart or whatever your local supermarket is called would be as good a choice as any other - any stainless steal cutlery will do fine, but teaspoons tend to be the right size])for holding vegetables down. I have used that on lettuce leaves too. If the spinach is in leaves rather than

I doubt that rubber bands are causing too much of a problem - I have certainly heard of lots of other people using them for various purposes in tanks. I tend to use cable-ties (zip-ties) to hold things semi-permanently in the tank.

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Mats

[DutchFry]

i use tea spoons as well, this works very good. especially with zuchini, just stick the spoon through the skin and do make sure there are no sharp ends sticking out

[loachy_406]

My parents didn't really want me using their teaspoons, so I'm using Screwcumbers.

[whitewaves]

Awesome product!! I just bought a pack. I was using a huge potato chip bag clip to hold it down with some success.. I tie a string to it so I don't have to keep putting my hand in the water and drip on the glass.

[whitewaves]

I tend to use cable-ties (zip-ties) to hold things semi-permanently in the tank.

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Mats

Never thought of this. Much better idea. My boyfriend has a box of these in the garage. Thanks!!!

[Lloydy]

Some of my fish tend to love Cucumber, especially my silver sharks, clown loaches (they seem to enjoy doing headstands in it!) and my L14 loves it whenever he can fight through the sharks to get to it.

Photo's attached. Sorry about the quality but if I turn the light on he runs back to his favourite piece of bogwood

[andywoolloo]

I use the screwcumbers and stainless steel forks and spoons. Sometimes the screwcumbers arent heavy enough, or my pieces I cut are too big! I was using veggie clips for the romaine lettuce but those kinda suck. They just spin around till the lettuce is doing an headstand. so now I put an end of it under a rock. They like that better then when it's on the glass anyway.

[Richard B]

My parents didn't really want me using their teaspoons, so I'm using Screwcumbers.

Hey, cool photo - it should be in an advert for the product!

[Richard B]

For frozen spinach, it is best to use the whole leaves rather than the shredded stuff. Lettuce leaves dont have to be blanched but if you do dip the leaf in boiling water for a couple of seconds but hold the "stem" part & keep it out of the water. I wrap a plant weight strip round the stem & then drop it in - same for the spinach.

For cucumber & potato etc I have a twig (1cm thick, 14cm long) that broke off a piece of redmoor wood. This is fixed (with milliput) to a smooth flat(ish) pebble. I skewer to cucumber on the twig & pop the thing in the tank.

[Martin S]

My parents didn't really want me using their teaspoons, so I'm using Screwcumbers.

Hey, cool photo - it should be in an advert for the product!

Check out the link - it is

[Richard B]

Doh! - i thought it your photo - you could've sold the rights for an unlimited supply of 'em!