Loaches Online Forum

Hi,
I've always thawed frozen food for my fish. However, I've recently read that frozen food can be put directly into the tank without thawing it out (don't remember where I read it though). Now, I've just read in the English Wikipedia:

Most clown loaches accept commercial flake food and sinking pellets as their dietary staple, but thrive with a variety of food: live (worms, brine shrimp, small snails),banana, plant matter, freeze-dried (tubifex worms, especially if it is fortified) and frozen brine shrimp (always thaw frozen food to aquarium temperature).

What do you guys think? Should you thaw frozen food out or not?

I always thaw mine the night before I feed. I just don't think its a good idea for coldblooded fish to eat frozen food without it being thawed first.

You can also rinse the residue while thawing.

I admit though I am lazy sometimes and I rub frozen food between my fingers.

I always thaw before serving.

My thought process is this:
Loaches have voracious appetites and seldom slow down while eating. A still-frozen bloodworm (for example) may seem small enough to us, but to a 4 inch long loach that's the equivalent of swallowing whole a foot-long chunk of solid ice. Imagine what damage that could do to it's digestive system? I don't think that internal frostbite would be good for the fish.

I could be wrong about the damage potential, of course, but why chance it when all I have to do is let the frozen food sit out for an hour or so before feeding time?

When I buy large flat frozen food I will defrost it in hot water before serving.
When I feed the cubed foods I toss them in frozen. They seem to defrost fast, and shed edible bits almost right away.

Do fish get 'brain freeze'?

The way my loaches act, I'm not entirely sure that they have brains to freeze!