lettuce and frozen cubed spinach

[ineke]

I recently fed my shrimp boiled lettuce and they went crazy for it. All that was left was stringy veins. I had used the outer leaves , washed them and then soaked them in hot water. Eventually boiled them in the microwave. I fed a few and put the rest in a plastic bag in the fridge and fed them again about 4 days later- they liked that even better- I had stored them in a bit of the water they were cooked in. Don't know how much goodness is in lettuce but they didn't touch any other food I put in there while there was lettuce left.

Also I found cubed cooked spinach in coles and gave that to the shrimp too. I boiled it for safety but didnt really need to. It does fall apart in the tank but the shrimp hunted the stray bits and it was funny watching them grab bits of spinach like a prize and run away to a quiet corner to eat it. Many a fight over the one tiny piece was had.

All varieties of my shrimp liked both these treats so it may be worth your while trying it.

[jayc]

Great to hear of stories of shrimp enjoying a meal.

Was it iceberg lettuce?

If it was, it's got a good amount on calcium, not the best but also not the worst (as per the Calcium rich food sticky!). Iceberg has the most calcium out of all the lettuce varieties. Cos and Romaine lettuces have lower calcium content than Iceberg.

Spinach is always great, it's got the most amount of calcium per gram, and other nutrients as well. If it was good for Popeye, it must be good for shrimp.

[BlueBolts]

Frozen food for shrimps....what will they think of next . LOL. Unsure whether there's any additives/nasties with the frozen ? I normally buy fresh, soak/rinse for 2 days before boiling them......any extra's are frozen. I guess there's a risk of buying frozen foods, as you're never 100% sure, BUT ditto with fresh veg as well.

If tired and tested, and all OK, i would just stick with that brand, just in case ....

Nice & thanks for sharing :)

[jayc]

I guess you'd need to be careful of preservatives and fertiliser/pesticide residue for any store bought veges and fruits. Fresh or frozen.

[Squiggle]

+1 with BB, you never know what's on frozen foods, I always buy fresh the boil, wash, then boil again & what I don't feed I portion out into ice cube trays to be used when needed. :victorious:

[ineke]

Yes you do need to be careful . The lettuce was iceberg and I washed , rinsed and soaked for a long time with water changes inbetween . I also boiled the lettuce for about 10 minutes in the microwave . I tested it on my Rili culls before giving all the others some including TB tank. I will continue to give each fresh batch to the culls first then the next day give it to the others. They like it best when it's been in the fridge in plastic bags for a few days anyway.

The spinach has no additives added just pure spinach. I still microwave it first to minimise risk but I guess that is a chance you take - one hint is to make sure it is Australian because there is at least some check on what is used in growing veggies. Happily I have a pot of spinach and another of parsley growing so won't need to buy that anymore and as the shrimp enjoy the lettuce I might even try giving that a go in a pot too.

[shrimphive]

home grown is best

I guess you'dI uneed to be careful of preservatives anbser/pesticide residue for any store bought veges and fruits. Fresh or frozen.

I just grow my own spinach, buy a dozen plants for under 5 bucks from bunnings ..... that way you can ensure no chemicals are used..... I pluck a dozen leaves every second day and always have heaps left....Very easy to grow... for water i use the waste from water changes...