Loaches Online Forum

Pretty cool. I've never tried hand feeding my loaches.

chefkeith wrote:Pretty cool. I've never tried hand feeding my loaches.

I hadn't either, but I normally put my hand inside the water always so the wafers sink straight away and they just started coming up. The comparison to behaviour is like to platies who would kill each other if I approach the tank. It's the same with the loaches now. I get up in the morning, walk into the room with the tank and I see clown loaches rushing to the top before I even put the food in. Very odd to be honest because they used to run away from me for a long time before.

I use floating cichlid pellets once a day to entice my loaches to get out in the open. At the surface, they get pretty loud clicking and slurping. Some will skim the entire perimeter of the tank looking for food. Others just rush up to the top, grab some food, then dart back down to the bottom. One of these days I'll do a video. It gets nuts at feeding time with 30 - 40 clown loaches. Actually, I'm a little afraid to stick my hand in the tank while they're eating. Together they can eat a large whole shrimp/prawn in under a minute.

I'm a little afraid to stick my hand in the tank while they're eating.

It would be lovely to see your loaches feeding. 30-40 together, wow. I was actually a bit scared too because they actually do open their mouth as if to bite but the feeling is just some gentle rub with their barbells. I resisted pulling my hand the first time because I didn't want to scare them so I'd say you are safe I've only 6 of them to be afraid off so I can't guarantee anything about your 30-40 though

I love it!! He's gorgeous & I'm glad you saved him!

The clown loach was posing today, thought I'll update the thread. The algae ridden tube is his bed. He was running up and down the glass with a few other clowns till he almost jumped over the surface despite the tank being over 60cm high. He got spooked and ran to lean against his abode

So he was like this when I got him last year 2013





Now he is like this 2014 He looks like he's grown a bit

Wow, looks like he has gotten bigger!
Nice colours, he seems like a beautiful fish...
I was wondering, how big is your tank?? Any FTS?

Hi, thanks, yes he's grown.
The tank is 90G, not sure after substrate etc but it's not their permanent home yet though it's big enough to support them for now.

Here is an older video from a year ago of my other 5 clowns I've had for maybe 3 years. This clown wasn't with them yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cbL_ecBMFA


I have a picture of the tank too but there are no leaves now. The trunk in the middle is hollow inside and that's where most of the clown sleep, hence missing on this particular picture. May have some with the clowns but can't find them now.

Wow, like the tank!
Very neat but interesting for the eyes!

Thanks assuieJJdude.
Nice nickname by the way

I haven't uploaded a video in a while. So here are some of them making a sand storm this moment.
Please excuse the bad angle of the video but couldn't move from the sofa, way too lazy , also the miserable plants, haven't taken care of them these months.

Mr big clown is also in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eDRfwyirbM

And just one more from today, maybe a slightly better one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMaAiI9 ... wiLlaaSpoA

On a side note, does anyone know if dosing nitrates from dry ferts is bad for loaches? I hadn't dosed for ages that tank, hence my plants gone bad but wondering if its worth it in case it can harm the loaches long term? I know ferts are just inorganic fertilisers and not the same as tank produced nitrates but I don't really know the effect of inorganic ferts on fish.
For some reason, due to my large water changes the nitrates are very low and when I leave it like that without dosing, plants eventually die. I also need to dose iron so not sure if that is harmful or not?

Watch your language please.

bookpage wrote:Watch your language please.

Sorry bookpage. What do you mean?

Edit: Ok, I think I know what you meant. I exchanged that word for another. My apologies.

Loachloach wrote: I know ferts are just inorganic fertilisers and not the same as tank produced nitrates

Nitrate is nitrate. NO3-. Obviously, there must also be a positive ion, but as all nitrates dissolve in water, the ions do not influence each other when in water, and therefore, for us, the positive ion does not matter. The origin is of no importance, nitrates do not have a memory or something

However, tank produced nitrates are produced constanly and added nitrates are usually added in one batch. This is a distinction, the fluctuation of nitrates concentration, not the nitrates themselves