Feeding veggies to my little friends

Question
I just have a quick question.  I am not having any tank problems, just trying to keep my little friends healthy and happy.  I have a 37 gal. planted tank.  (I am currently soaking some really nice big pieces of bog wood to get as much tannin out as possible before adding them to the tank.)  I have 2 platies, 1 gourami, 9 neon and glowlight tetras, 3 ornate tetras, 3 otto's, 1 small shrimp and 1 speckled cory....oh yeah, and 1 adorable little german blue ram named Rammy.  I do 25 to 30% water changes every 2 weeks, water tests 0 for nitrites, about 90ppm for hardness, 7.2 for ph.  I feed dried bloodworm, some flakes, some crisps, some color flakes, shrimp puffs, and frozen brine.  Not something from every group every day, but definitely 3 or 4 flavors each day.  I usually only feed once a day so I won't overfeed them.

My question has to do with feeding veggies.  A couple weeks ago I noticed that "someone" had been eating my plants.  Could never catch them until I spied one of the platies with a leaf in his mouth.  So, I did some research and decided to experiment.  I dropped 2 leaves of baby spinach in the tank with a clip to weigh it down.  Nothing happened the first day.  But yesterday, they discovered it.  The gourami, ottos and platies had a feast!  It is all gone as of this morning.  My question is:  How often can I feed them fresh spinach?  I don't want to overdo it, but they certainly had a lot of fun with it.

Answer
Good evening Carolyn,

Your tank sounds lovely! I have a 29 gallon tank I would love to trade for a 37 gallon, seems like the perfect size to me. I have a 55 (along with many others, hee!) which makes the 29 seem small - I wish I had an in-between size.

My only caveats would be the gourami and platies. Gouramis appreciate softer water (as does everyone but the platies) however the dwarfs (Colisa lalia) very often fall ill. If not caught quickly, the disease will spread - the hallmark symptom is red ulcers on the body or face, but the usual lethargy and lack of appetite accompanies this. I could go into more detail, but my aim is not to frighten you, just to keep you vigilant. If your dwarf gourami fails to eat or starts looking disoriented, remove him/her immediately.

Now, if your gourami is not a dwarf but rather a Trichogaster variant - pearl, gold, blue or three-spot, for example - then relax, as this does not seem to be nearly as common with this variety. What does happen with this sort of gourami is a) they grow large! b) they become territorial.

Ok, you've been warned about the gourami family! Now, the platies. In my experience, livebearers in a community tank of Amazonian type fishes (actually the gouramis are Asian, but let's not get technical) never seem to thrive the way they do in a tank of their own. (Although I do believe rainbowfish and livebearers would do very well together, as they both like hard alkaline water. You could buffer up the pH with crushed coral or oyster shell in addition to the gravel, or you could decorate with a bit of limerock...)

The tank you're setting up has a pH just above neutral, which the driftwood might drive down a bit. (Actually, unless it aesthetically bugs you and/or you are using plants that demand high levels of light, the majority of your fish would like their water stained. The tannins actually serve as a natural disinfectant.) This is perfect for all your fish, except your platies which prefer water with more hardness than yours. (This also, tends to be driven down over time in a planted tank, which is rich in organic, earthy material.) So just keep an eye out for those platies. They might feel right at home - it's not unheard of! But they might also show signs of distress such as bloating or disorientation, in which case you should isolate them also.

Whew, we're finally at the spinach now! Adding the spinach was a fantastic idea. If you are using organic spinach, I would add that as often as you like, even up to once a day. However if you are using spinach grown in the "modern" way, do keep in mind that low-growing spinach has more trouble with pesticide residue than other greens, so wash it carefully and only offer it maybe three times a week. Remember our recent scare with spinach? Yikes!

In general, stay away from iceberg lettuce since it is nutritionally devoid, but feel free to offer dark greens such as romaine, kale etc. I would also suggest squash, pea innards, broccoli, cucumber and zucchini for starters. Not everything might be accepted by your fish, but you can certainly try! Here's a list of other foods for pet fish:
http://fish.mongabay.com/food.htm

Oh, one more thing about the platies. Livebearers are vegetarians, so try to get a hold of spirulina flake - my fish really like a kind that Wardley makes, Spirulina Plus. I found it at the Winn-Dixie's pet department, oddly enough. All in all, it sounds like you are doing a fine job with the rotation! Once in a while, you might offer a frozen food treat. I buy Hikari's Bloodworms and Mysis Shrimp and it lasts me a long time, even with all of my tanks. At the pet store where I buy them, they come in a pack of two, in a little zip lock bag, so I just cut a bit with a knife and offer it. I try to avoid cubes, since I find it a whole lot easier to adjust portions using the zip lock bags.

I hope that helps! Take care.
Nicole

P.S. It sounds as though you are awfully fond of your little ram! I love my pairs - I have a blue ram pair and a gold ram pair. Here's more on rams, in case you are interested:
http://cichlidae.com/tank.php?id=368