feeding how often?

[cloudgodd]

I read that it is better to feed clown loaches in small amount more often but at what intervals in more often, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4?

also keep in mind I have other top feeders in the tank as well

[Diana]

Baby Loaches (say up to 1" long) need to be fed more often, and it should be easy for them to get the food, there should be plenty so they do not have to search all over the tank for it. THis will entail cleaning the tank more frequently to remove the uneaten food.
By about 2" they can be fed perhaps 4 times a day, and you do not have to overfeed so much. As they can handle larger pieces of food such as brine shrimp instead of baby brine shrimp they are getting stronger and better able to search the tank for food.

You can keep reducing the frequency of feeding as the fish grow.

Mine are about 4"+ (around 10 cm) and I feed twice a day, and skip one day per week.

[cloudgodd]

do you have any good ideas for getting the food past the top feeders, mine food like freze dried brine and blood worms all float so by the time the loaches get it its almost all gone.

[Gary Stanton]

Feed the loaches sinking food. Mine are 15+ cms and I feed them 4-5 times a week.

[Diana]

Pre-soak the freeze dried foods (water or the garlic flavored vitamin stuff found in fish stores), then use a turkey baster to squirt these foods down low in the tank. Feed more at the surface so that the surface feeding fish will stay away from the Loach areas, and all will have a chance at the food.

Ditto Gary: Sinking foods will sink really well. Carnivore tablets and algae wafers are really well liked by most of my bottom feeders, and Omega One Shrimp pellets are the all around favorites.
Also, frozen foods will scatter better in the tank than dried foods. Some tend to sink, others drift in the water.

[cloudgodd]

thank you for that idea I will give it a shot