Re: Assistance feeding Yo-Yo Loaches

[Dan234]

Hello folks, I just joined today. This looks like the right place to get some good tips on my new purchase as of yesterday:

3 2" Yo-Yo loaches

These loaches have been placed in my 38 Gallon aquarium that include 7 Tiger Barbs.

They seem to be a little shy now, hiding in a large cave. The Tiger Barbs have been curious but not overly aggressive towards the loaches.

Question: How do I ensure these loaches will get food? I have placed shrimp pellets and tetra-min tablets in during the day yet the Tiger Barbs seem to find them quickly and gobble them up.
I also placed a piece of raw cucumber in the tank last night [suction cup], but am not entirely sure anyone has bothered with it.

Any tips or other food suggestions?

thanks,
Dan

[Mark in Vancouver]

They shouldn't have any trouble finding food. Sinking pellets work well, and I would recommend you keep putting new cucumber in the tank for several more nights - just to see if they can be convinced. Once they're onto it, you'll find the whole piece eaten in the morning.

Good flake food, brine shrimp, and bloodworms should all get snapped up.

[Tinman]

Mine love little shrimp from the grocery,peeled and deveined is about 4.00 a pound US and you will get 75-100 and only need a one or two a feeding. It is cost effective and you can snack too but it should not be your only feed by any means. Marks suggestions are very good and also part of my Yo-yo's diet. You may leave the cucumber in for several days without worry.

[Dan234]

Thanks for the tips. I feed the Tiger Barbs New Life Spectrum flakes, will the loaches eventually feed from the surface too?

Also, are the Yo-Yo loaches nocturnal? Will they scout around for chow at night when the Tiger Barbs are napping?


thanks,
Dan

[Batch]

Hi Dan,
I feed my yo-yo/tiger barbs both floating and sinking food (at the same time). The loaches will have trouble competing with the barbs for food if you
just use flake.

Cheers,
batch

[helen nightingale]

if they are quite new, they might take a while to settle in and get used to new foods. try all sorts of sinking pellets and granules. mine go crazy for hikari sinking carnivore pellets. they also love frozen bloodworm and frozen lobster eggs (defrosted first). and prawns.

try feeding the loaches in the evening, and just before the lights go out, and quite often they are most active in the evenings (with loaches, there always seem to be exceptions ), and make sure the tigers get plenty of food too, as i have a feeling they have a reputation for being little piggies

[Dan234]

Well, it's been awhile since I was last here...my how time flies.

Update: I have upgraded to a 50 gallon aquarium which houses 12 Tiger barbs, 1 4" Bristlenose and the 3 Yoyo loaches which are now about 3" in length.

For a long time I had trouble feeding the Yoyos, since the Tiger barbs kept dashing off with whatever pellet, tablet, wafer I would put in...except for good sized algae wafers. In fact, the Tiger barbs would swallow entire shrimp pellets regardless of their length...spit up, suck in routine. I priced out the Hikari sinking carnivore pellets but $16.99 [canadian] for less than 2.5 ounces seems steep.

I made my own frozen food which I fed to the Yoyos...and tigers from time to time. That was fine but seemed to cause a bit of a mess...likely not enough gelatin in the mix.

Since then, I've now tried putting a little cocktail shrimp and a piece of cucumber on a fork. That seems to work well and everybody goes bonkers for a piece of that shrimp. Amazing...$2.99 [canadian] for a no-name brand of 50-60 cocktail shrimp. What a bargain, considering I only need 1 per feeding at the most.

I've also learned to lower the water level by about 1", wet some flake food and place it just above the water line. High enough for the Tiger barbs not to reach, but perfect for the Yoyos to skim above the water line and 'slurrpy slurp' the flakes. This has worked wonders in finally getting the loaches to get their own flakes. They now routinely skim above the surface of the front glass in search of a piece of flake they missed.

Thanks again for the help you guys have provided.

Dan