Loaches Online Forum

I've made a batch of loach food using the recipe in the TFH Loaches book, but my Clowns ignore it. My Sterba Corys gobble it, and pond Goldfish love it, but not loaches!

Are there any tips for getting them to tune in to this new food source? They are used to Tetra crisps, frozen bloodworm / shrimp, and cucumber. I have seven 3 inch Clowns in a 4 foot tank and they are in good health and ravenous for everything else!

The book is great and I learnt a lot from Emma's article in Practical Fishkeeping. I've had the Clowns for 2 years and love them, but probably wouldn't have bought them if I'd known what I know now about their size and longevity...

Thanks for any help folks can offer...

Loaches are fussy sometimes. Give them a few days without food and then try it again. I feed it to mine and it's like a tank of Piranha feeding in some silly movie.

Martin.

Boromark wrote:Are there any tips for getting them to tune in to this new food source?

If the recipe does not include garlic you might consider adding it to your next batch.

My home made recipes typically include a pound of meaties, two cans of veggies, yeast, multivitamins and a minimum of 5 cloves of garlic which have been blended with liquid drained from the cans of veggies.

TR

Garlic is a good flavoring to add. Mash up a fresh clove (or small part of one) and rub it all over the frozen bit you are feeding. Adding it into the next batch is a good idea. I also add lots of garlic to every batch.

Thanks for these ideas.

Starve my beauties? You are a hard man, Martin. But it will come to that if the garlic does not work...

I'm talking a few days without food, not starving them!

For anyone who's interested in the food and prep, here's what we're talking about.......

http://www.loaches.com/articles/home-co ... n-fishfood

Martin.

Just to add to the garlic endorsement- my clowns seem to love one food or another for some time, then suddenly lose interest in it. Rubbing garlic on pretty much anything they refuse initially gets it snapped right up when I try the same food again!


Kate

I will definitely try garlic, and thanks Martin, I now have your online recipe as well as the one in the book.

My wife was quick to point out that I now have two more recipes for loaches than the number I have for the humans in our household!

Boromark wrote:I will definitely try garlic, and thanks Martin, I now have your online recipe as well as the one in the book.

My wife was quick to point out that I now have two more recipes for loaches than the number I have for the humans in our household!

We got that covered too

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=12541&start=0

Martin.