Experimental Foods

[ccc24]

Is there anything (within reason) you can’t feed fish in general due to it being poisonous or toxic to them? Like dogs and dark chocolate? 
I don’t plan on tossing a 32 ounce steak in but if a tomato needs to be eaten, I’d rather feed it to the fish than waste it. Or at the very least, feed them the left over scraps of cilantro & tomato from taco night.

Right now, I’m going on the premise of them needing to encounter a version of it in nature (as in - they could run across raw vegetation (the tomato & cilantro) but not milk - so no cheese) but I’m curious if there are any foods that are always a no. 

[Flumpweesel]

I think water fouling is the issue if they either won't eat it or they struggle to digest it.

And it will depend on the types and sizes of tank inhibitors. 

I have struggled to get fish to near most veg so it mainly feeds the snails when I try. 

Make sure anything you try can be easily retrieved if they don't like it. And don't use left overs as their main diet as it will lack a lot of nutrients found in decent died food especially if it's on the older side.

I believe bigger fish enjoy meaty treats and raw fish scraps are probably ok to a point but again oils or bits left to rot are going put pressure on the biological filtration.

[Brandon p]

It depends on the fish and the food.As @Flumpweeselmskes most of the point would have too. I used to feed the vegetables I was going to cook for dinner al the time. I would just Pacu scrapes but i they were normally trimings and not cooked. I think if you did not have sauce are cooking oils those they are fine. There are some plants that’s that you probably should stay away from. Potatoes skins, the green stems on tomato’s. If it’s the first fist I would give it a quick google, if you do this it should only be a treat not a everyday thing. Most fish foods have been call me Whited so fish get all they need

Edited August 5, 2022 by Brandon p

[ccc24]

Agree. Definitely not their main diet and definitely before any cooking additives (oils, seasonings, etc). Just more wanting to toss in the end of the cucumber or the last few bites of carrots the kids aren’t going to eat. 
I’ve got finned garbage disposals in the tank (mollies) and those fish seem to eat type of food I throw in (flake, pellet, nori, frozen, fresh) that is a fish food. So I’m hopeful they will eat other food scraps. 

[Flumpweesel]

You often have to blanch the veg so it isn't too tough to be eaten

[Expectorating_Aubergine]

I can only see this working well in a tank that is either 

A. Full of voracious detrivores (a la snails or crayfish)

B. A big fish that's a garbage can and will eat anything

When I was in college I got to see scenario A. I knew a grad student that wanted to do "water composting". He had a 300 gallon trough full of water and 6" sections of cut pvc. He put cloning crayfish in there and basically fed them the stuff he would normally put in the compost pile. I believe the only thing he added aside from the water was a big air stone. Believe me when I tell you, I've never seen so many crayfish in my LIFE! When he drained that sucker he must have had at least 100lbs of crayfish! They were delicious 😋

Edited August 5, 2022 by Expectorating_Aubergine

[Brandon p]

It works well with Pacu. I don’t suggest anyone get them unless you have an 800 g tank. Mine ate everything chicken, beef, pork, vegetables, nuts, loved nuts. Be they ate it right away.