Loaches Online Forum

sorry if I seem like I'm asking too many questions, I just want to make sure any loaches going into my tank have a bright future!

At the moment my loaches eat mostly bloodworms (once a day), though when I feed the other fish standard flake food, they do pick up some of it.

Is this adequate? thanks

try to get a varied diet into your fish, they will get bored with the same food all the time, add some veg into their diet.
meat wise, earth worms are a delicacy as well as prawns,mussel, squid, mysis shrimp,krill,crab, and if you can afford lobster meat.

mick

I see.. How about bloodworms combined with vegetables? ie cucumbers?

IMO, bloodworms are too rich to be feeding all the time - they really should only be used as a treat.

Have you read the Loach Almanac? There are some great tips on feeding there: http://www.loaches.com/care/the-loach-almanac

You should try to obtain some sinking catfish pellets/granules and some other frozen foods such as Mysis shrimp, brineshrimp (go for the enriched stuff - plain brineshrimp is not very nutritious), chopped krill/prawns etc, white mosquito larvae (which is not as rich as bloodworm) etc.

Emma

If you use the search option on the top of the page and put in 'feeding' (or you could try a couple other things, too) it will return you a bunch of older threads from here where we've talked about the same thing.

The small shrimp work excellent and fill the fish very well. I buy peeled and deveined small shrimp and thaw then crush them with excellent results. Earthworms live are very good also as are some sinking pellets. I do feed flake also and have added a vitamin and amino acid supplement called Nourish at times which has Iodide to replace the brineshrimp shell which is also desirable but I will not use as it is so low in nutrition alone. Emma mentioned the enriched brine which is a possibility also and is similar in design. A cucumber works very well sliced and is well received after several tries and should be weighted down with a fork or a rubberband to a stick so as to retrieve the skin the next morning.

This thread gives an idea as to some good foods http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=9936, my loaches probably get frozen foods as 60% of their diet and they get a good mix of shrimp, larvae and shellfish at each feeding.