Loaches Online Forum

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum but have been keeping fish on and off for a long time.

10 days ago I purchased 4 Clown Loaches that are 5" in length. They are in my 100 gal. tank with a few Severums and 4 Geo's. They have settled in quit well and seem to enjoy the decor and mild lighting. However I am a little surprised on their picky eating habbits.

The first 4 or 5 days I continued with the regular feeding regiment that I've been using for the other fish for some time. I feed twice a day a selection of NLS small sinking pellets, Omega One flakes, Freeze Dried Plankton, and bottom feeder tablets. The Clown Loaches have shown little to no interest in these foods. So now I also feed thawed frozen brine shrimp and blood worms. This they seem to love but the blood worms and brine shrimp are small and along with the other fish being very aggressive eaters I'm concerned the loaches aren't getting enough to eat.

I'm wondering what the chances are that the Clown Loaches will start to accept the small sinking pellets and flake food? I may have to start feeding frozen Mysis shrimp which are much larger.

Also can someone recommend a very good bottom feeder tablet that loaches seem to love?

Thanks all.....very impressive web sight and forum.

Dave

Hi and welcome to LOL Dave A.
you could try cocktail prawn and mussel meat, in time they will get used to the foods you have been giving the other fish it just takes time and patience mate.

mick
btw nice pic of the steindachneri.

mickthefish wrote:Hi and welcome to LOL Dave A.
you could try cocktail prawn and mussel meat, in time they will get used to the foods you have been giving the other fish it just takes time and patience mate.

mick
btw nice pic of the steindachneri.

Thanks Mick,

I'd like the blood worms and mysis to be more of a treat so perhaps I'll try to stick to my normal feeding regiment of NLS small sinking pellets, Omega One flakes, and freeze dried plankton and see what happens. I'm sure they won't starve themselves if food is offered.

Dave

If they're new to you I'd white spot treat them and deworm them as a matter of course. You may find that improves their appetite. Also, mine took two weeks just to be at ease with their surroundings in an almost entirely clown tank so you may need to just give it a while longer.

I assume they've got lots of hiding? Have you tried cucumber? If they don't eat that, something's up. Others on here use these chaps http://www.flguppiesplus.com/ and I've just done so too. I found them very good, helpful, pleasant etc and I'm in the UK. The fish like the food too. They do deworm flake which is the prime reason I went there.

You can get garlic to add to the food which helps but does pong a bit. Apparently the worms don't like the flavour too so it helps any fish affected.

mickthefish wrote:you could try cocktail prawn and mussel meat, in time they will get used to the foods you have been giving the other fish it just takes time and patience mate.

I second the cocktail prawn idea. You can get a huge bag of them frozen for a reasonable price, thaw a couple at a time, dice them up (or cut them up with scissors if you're lazy like me) and toss them in the tank. try them every other or every third feeding. much more economical than mysis shrimp drops or the like, which I also use as more of a weekly treat with frozen blood worms/brine shrimp, or fresh tubifex which I breed.

I had one clown that took several months to settle in. I'd be a bit concerned with the cichlids causing the clowns to stay back. My clowns eat pretty much anything. They do love zucchini, so you could try that (make sure you wash it well). I cut a piece and anchor it with a rubber band to a piece of slate. The clown that wouldn't come out for months made an exception when I put zucchini in, so it may work, but it'd probable depend on how the cichlids behave around that food.

Thanks for all the help....they seem to be starting to eat the small NLS pellets and a little of the flake food. I did give them a slice of cucumber and they went nuts over it. Even caused a few bouts of lip locking. They are starting to even come to the top of the tank at feeding time so I think things are improving.

Dave

Nice to hear, bet they're just a bit shellshocked

Read the feeding section here:

http://www.loaches.com/care/the-loach-almanac

Clowns go totally ape for Hikari Sinking Carnivoure Pellets.

Martin.