# Oto fruits



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I want to feed my otos zuccina but want it to be prepared like I know most fruits have oils and pesticides how do I prepare and give it to them.


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

I've always used cucumber, the one time I tried zucchini it made my tank cloudy D: It won't hurt the tank unless left in it for so long that it rots. 

I weighed mine down with rocks or weighted cucumber hooks. Some people cook them to make them sink.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

What about chemicals


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## Pilot00 (Jul 24, 2012)

Wash them as any other fruit or veggie. Some people boil or microwave them for a couple o mins.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

I rinse em off ,stab em with a fork so that the point's on the fork are not exposed, and plop em in the tank.
Can leave vegetable matter in the tank for up to two day's if you are so inclined.(have done so on weekend fishing trip's)
The vegetable matter contains none of the animal proteins that most fish food's contain(fish,shrimp,krill etc) so although it may cloud the water (depending on how big a piece you use ,tank size) It won't give rise to ammonia level's in my expierience.(whole zuchinni in ten gal might):lol:
Most times,,I place the vegetable matter in the tank at light's out for the day,,and remove it the following day same time.
Oak,Birch leaves,are left in the tank till there's nothing left for like the vegetables,,they don't contain the animal protein's (shrimp,krill,fish,etc).


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## MSG (May 8, 2012)

*Pesticides are usually wax based and will not wash off with water.*


Use a mixture of table or kosher salt to scrub the outside of the conventionally grown veggie & rinse well before you slice it for your fish.
Peel off the skin, most of the pesticides are on the outside, but keep in mind most of the nutrients are on the skin as well.
Use ORGANIC veggies. But you still have to clean the outside just in case there are some residue from being improperly handled.
Cucumber have virtually no nutrients, zucchini & yellow zucchini are better veggies to use.


Option 3 is the safest, but the most expensive. I feed my fish weird stuff & insects that no one on this forum recommends, but all my fishies are alive & well.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

MSG said:


> Use a mixture of table or kosher salt to scrub the outside of the conventionally grown veggie & rinse well before you slice it for your fish.
> Peel off the skin, most of the pesticides are on the outside, but keep in mind most of the nutrients are on the skin as well.
> Use ORGANIC veggies. But you still have to clean the outside just in case there are some residue from being improperly handled.
> Cucumber have virtually no nutrients, zucchini & yellow zucchini are better veggies to use.
> ...


Both myself,and fishes have been eatin vegetables for year's after rinsing them under tapwater.
Lot's of produce is cleaned before it hit's the market with bleach/water solution, or tapwater that contain's chlorine/chloramines.
If it weren't effective,,all kind's of folk's would be droppin like flies from residual's ,not to mention that you'd have to wash the dirt mud off the produce before eating it.


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## Pilot00 (Jul 24, 2012)

1077 said:


> Both myself,and fishes have been eatin vegetables for year's after rinsing them under tapwater.
> Lot's of produce is cleaned before it hit's the market with bleach/water solution, or tapwater that contain's chlorine/chloramines.
> If it weren't effective,,all kind's of folk's would be droppin like flies from residual's ,not to mention that you'd have to wash the dirt mud off the produce before eating it.


+1


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## MSG (May 8, 2012)

That layer of wax also acts as a preservative they don't wash it because it would need to be dried otherwise the product will rot. That extra step will add to the final cost to the product & will reduce the shelf life. 

I'm more concerned about the people who handled the produce on the display shelves before you bring it home. 

You're saying rinsing in plain tap water will remove the oil from the tips of your fingers? 

Pesticide residue is NOT going to kill you, but it will make you ill and mess with your immune system if you eat ENOUGH of it. People & animals can built up a tolerance for it. 

Others who are more sensitive will get strange rashes and other symptoms. 

You're totally welcome to do what you want. But what I suggested is what my farmers and other people in the industry have taught me.


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## Pilot00 (Jul 24, 2012)

I have never seen or heard of anything like that. People around here usually spray pesticides on the plants, not the fruit itself. And i have never heard of anything as a wax/oily thing to act as a preservative. Even things that come from the other side of Europe have nothing of the sort.

Are you sure this waxing technique is not a local 'trick'?


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

fruit will make some rather sugary water.


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## MSG (May 8, 2012)

Pesticides are sprayed on the fruit otherwise insects will land, burrow into it and lay eggs inside. I've seen plenty of fruit trees on people's properties with no pesticides and virtually the entire crop will sustain damage from insects. 

Also from what my guys tell me the type of pesticides most of these commercial farming companies use don't rinse off with water. Otherwise every time it rains they would have to send out a worker to reapply the stuff. 

The wax I mentioned is used by some agriculture companies to dress up their produce before it gets shipped for the grocery stores but that shiny wax coating also seals in the pesticides. 

Pilot, every country has different guidelines for handing produce & what can be used to treat it. Talk to your produce guy and see what he tells you. Most vendors SHOULD know about their product. 

I prefer to buy fruit/veggies by the case when the opportunity presents itself. 

I do what I can to support the companies that use more natural forms of farming versus the ones that reply more on genetic engineered hybrids with built in insecticides or the ones that just shower their products in chemical pesticides.


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## Pilot00 (Jul 24, 2012)

The difference i believe that we dont use companies as intermediates here (most of the time). The majority of fruit and vegetables are not sold in sealed containers/baggaged. They are been sold on stalls in the open. Only supermarkets and the like sell sealed containers with fruit but i dont have experience with those. After all its better to have a feel no?

I am also 100% sure farmers here dont use that kind of pesticides since here (and EU in general) doesnt have such extreme problems to guaranty their use (i am talking about grasshoppers and the like), most pests can be overcome with simply spraying the plant. Rarely do we loose crops to insects or decease that way. I have been in farms for about 7 years and i havent heard of that wax method. That mostly (from what i garner from your post) must be used by the company shipping and handling and not the farmer himself (unless ofc there are extremes that must be combated). I have handled imported goods from Europe,Turkey and Egypt and havent seen that either.

Anyway if this 'film' is present on veggies i wouldnt consume something like that even if i had completely removed it. It cant be healthy and runs the risk of embedding itself inside the fruit.


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## MSG (May 8, 2012)

We have open market vendors as well, but most people tend to buy in the grocery stores because they think it's cleaner but most don't bother asking questions or educating themselves when it comes to farming practices of the larger companies. 

The European market is completely different. I think their standards are higher, but that's just a guess.

I just like to buy fruit/veggies in 10lbs or larger cases because once I'm out of chilled produce I tend to eat the junky processed snacks like everyone else when I'm slightly hungry.

Before I buy a case of something, I check the produce out first.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

American market is full of inorganic food.


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