Feeding lettuce

[stdreb27]

I've seen on here recently some proponents and opponents for feeding lettuce vs nori. I can understand the purists arguing that you shouldn't feed a fish something they won't find in the sea. But I've been to major aquariums where "professionals" are feeding their show piece angels, tangs and other rare fish a leaf of Romain Lettuce. Personally I kind of like using lettuce because it doesn't fall apart like nori does. And my fish will eat a whole leaf of Romain in a couple hours where nori will fall apart before they eat it. I wonder about fertilizers and pesticides I might be introducing to my water, but I don't think there is that much risk to it. What do you guys think?

 

[jonthefishguy]

I feed it at times, advise my customers to do the same and have seen MANY public aquariums do the same. I have no fear.

 

[xdave]

Scrub it well, or better yet buy organically grown and scrub it too. You should bruise it. Pound on it with your fist or run a rolling pin over it first. Breaking the cell structure up will help with digestion and release of the nutrients.

 

[earlybird]

I think lettuce is fine but I would switch it up. Also make sure you blanch the lettuce a little before feeding.

 

[stdreb27]

Any people who think otherwise? I'm seriously curious as to what people think and why.

 

[dischirm]

Well, not quite lettuce, but back in the 70's I used to feed my tang raw spinach......

 

[tangwhispr]

the old adage of it not being from the ocean is rediculous, people feed dogs food mainly made from grain and when was the last time you saw a dog grazing in a field? I think as long as its not your worthless type of plain ole lettuce you are fine, i use romaine myself and have had good results.

 

[nereef]

if you look at the nutrition label for dried seaweed, it is about 1/3 protein. this is not the case with any type of lettuce.

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by NEreef
if you look at the nutrition label for dried seaweed, it is about 1/3 protein. this is not the case with any type of lettuce.
Do you feel that there isn't enough protein in the fish, shrimp and mollusks that they need protein in the nori too?

 

[aquaknight]

Lettuce takes a lot of serious digestion. I really don't feel fish have the time or the digestive tract to handle lettuce fully. If you blanch or freeze the lettuce, your pretty much shooting yourself in the foot, when you loose those nutrients. And I like the chemical makeup of dried seaweed a lot better. I thin the aquarium use is maybe a cost thing? I have not heard bad things from seaweed, though I have heard tangs getting skinny from just romaine.
That said, I really don't think it's a 'bad' thing (I would definitely not recommend it as a staple in a fishes diet though). But if that's all a starving fish will eat, by all means feed romaine. For me, I don't think seaweed is that hard. I just fold in half and it's usually all gone it starts to waste.

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by AquaKnight
Lettuce takes a lot of serious digestion. I really don't feel fish have the time or the digestive tract to handle lettuce fully. If you blanch or freeze the lettuce, your pretty much shooting yourself in the foot, when you loose those nutrients. And I like the chemical makeup of dried seaweed a lot better. I thin the aquarium use is maybe a cost thing? I have not heard bad things from seaweed, though I have heard tangs getting skinny from just romaine.
That said, I really don't think it's a 'bad' thing (I would definitely not recommend it as a staple in a fishes diet though). But if that's all a starving fish will eat, by all means feed romaine. For me, I don't think seaweed is that hard. I just fold in half and it's usually all gone it starts to waste.
Why wouldn't passing the lettuce through be a bad thing? Ruffage as my mom always called it.

 

[peglet]

I feed my tang butter lettuce and even fresh spinach from our greenhouse garden. He loves it. In fact I can give him a choice and he prefers homegrown to the seaweed out of the box. He does not seem to have a problem with digesting it. I don't blanch, break or roll it, not saying that is a bad thing, just saying I don't do it and have not had any bad side effects.

 

[aquaknight]

Originally Posted by stdreb27
Why wouldn't passing the lettuce through be a bad thing? Ruffage as my mom always called it.
Ruffage sure. But as a staple diet, I can't see it doing very much good long term. Nori stacks up favorable in its makeup, and my tangs don't have a problem mowing it down. I'm not that saying we shouldn't experiment, hell, I feed fresh (frozen) orange slices and blanched and frozen broccoli heads every down and then. I probably will try romaine again with my Naso, though I really didn't like my Yellow tang on it. But feeding strictly lettuce I have problems with.

 

[nereef]

lettuce wouldn't simply pass through the digestive tract as ruffage. unlike humans, tangs would have gut fuana that can brake down the beta glycocidic bonds of cellulose. so they would get the carbs out of the lettuce.
you also wouldn't lose nutrients by freezing or taking the rolling pin to the lettuce. this is just a physical change, so any components wouldn't be changed.
yes, i do believe that higher protein content in seaweed makes it a better food. tangs eat this almost solely in the wild. i say "almost" because when eating kelp, etc, there would be small inverts accidentally eaten. we substiture for this be also feeding mysis and other prepared foods.
i have personally seen the physical changes in yellow tangs when their diet is switched from lettuce to nori. i've seen yellow tangs that are browish white with eroded fins turn back to yellow, and fins grew back.

 

[tangwhispr]

I think the key is a good variety of quality items. I feed frozen, flake, pellet, and of course Rod's Food. Every day i change up.

 

[aquaknight]

Anyone do any live macro's? I'm keeping a chaeto ball in with my Naso in QT and he munches off that all day long. I feed my yellow feather and grape caulerpa trimming from my sump.