Loaches Online Forum

This might sound silly, but with the large clowns I know they will eat frozen brine. But is thst a mouth full. Can they eat enough small frosen brine. It seems that they would need large shrimp. Like the kind you use in shrimp cocktail. Can you tell us how much in one setting you feed , I think you said 25 clowns. I am trying to get a shoal of clowns together. Thats way I am wondering. thank jerry

Hi Jerry,

Glad to hear that you have managed to acquire some large Clowns - what size are they?

We have around 45 Clowns which range in size from 3" up to nearly 12", plus a shoal of 25 large barbs which are very greedy. Because of the sheer numbers of Clowns, plus the barbs, we do have to feed quite a quantity of frozen foods. The tank has been set-up for some time now, with way 'over-the-top' filtration, plus we carry out water changes every other day - so the amount of food going in is not a problem. However, although you have a huge tank, it hasn't been set-up all that long, so you will have to be a little more careful with the amount you feed. As long as the fish appear to consume all that you feed within a few minutes of feeding, you should be fine. As you increase your stocking level, increase the feedings too (whilst obviously keeping an eye on water quality).

As for what frozen foods to feed them on, you should try yours on a few different foods. We give ours a mixture containing white mosquito larvae (which the smaller fish love), brineshrimp, mysis shrimp, krill, prawns etc. We started feeding the prawns (like the ones you would buy to use in a prawn cocktail) when we re-homed the 2 largest Clowns, as that was apparently what they had been fed on at the shop we rescued them from. They do really love eating the prawns, and interestingly the majority of the smaller ones have now taken to it. We add some of the prawns whole for the big fish (they swallow them whole) and some chopped up for the slightly smaller ones. Even the baby 3" ones attempt to eat bits of them.

If prawns seem like they would be too big for your fish, you could always try mysis shrimp and krill first (available in frozen form from your lfs) as these two shrimps are bigger than brineshrimp, but not as big as prawns.

Hope this helps,

Emma

I got 4 six inch and 4 four to 5 inch ones. They are all eating well. The 4 four to 5 inch ones are shipping in the next couple days. I haven't got them home yet. Nice to heard from you. I am always amased about how many you are able to take very good care of. I love to see the picture of them laying in a pile.
thank you very much and take care.
jerry

No problem, Jerry! Thank you for your kind comments. I look forward to seeing some photos of your new Clowns

Emma