What do you feed your loaches?

[Total Package]

I was just curious what types of food you feed your loaches. I've seen alot of differing food preferences posted around over time.

I've had kubotai and yoyos for awhile and just got some b. striata. The striata are still settling in the Q tank and are really skiddish and I've not really seen them eat yet.

I've been feeding mine primarily shrimp pellets and algae wafers every couples days. They dont' seem to like the algae wafers as much.

Recently I've been feeding fresh fish and cocktail shrimp pieces, both of which they seem to really like. Frozen brine shrimp seem to also be enjoyed (not like shrimp pellets though).

Dried tuberfix worms don't really seem to excite them much and I've never seen them go after dried bloodworm (it usually doesn't make it to the loaches).

Cucumber seems to be completely ignored.

[LoachOrgy]

do a search. there are several threads that have tons of different comments on what different people feed them. also if you look at the loach almanac it has a good bit of info on this subject! hope that helps.

[Martin Thoene]

I feed a mixture of things. Hikari Sinking Carnivour pellets, Hikari Algae Wafers (both of which I buy in bulk), JMC Catfish Pellets (from England), occasionally cucumber.
Their main diet is my own frozen mixture which is detailed in this thread:

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=4464

The fish like it more than a bit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyBYUF5yFls

All my other fish eat it too.....not just loaches.

Martin.

[LoachOrgy]

i tried doing a search for you on the forums but i could not find anything wow. i remember some good threads a few weeks ago about feeding and such.

mine like hikari algae wafers, cucumber, orange, watermelon, squash, salad shrimp, bloodworms, brine shrimp, mesquito larvae. snails especially.

[loachmom]

My loaches really like Hikari Micropellets--they are really small, and they enjoy hunting for them. I also feed shrimp, Hikari wafers, Tetramin Pellets, betta flakes, cucumber, flake food, and dried blood worms (my loaches come to the surface for these
and for the flakes .) I am only feeding the betta flakes to use up a can leftover from a betta that died.
The loaches like them, though.

[Beowulf]

I feed a mixture of things that I change from day to day. Mostly a homemade mixture of shrimp, scallops, beef heart, some greens and liquid fish vitamins, also give them frozen blood worms, live California Black worms, frozen brine shrimp, shrimp pellets and algea waffers.

[Tinman]

I use a combination of flake and sliced earthworms with occasional algea wafers.Cucumbers are good also. Be careful with to many algea wafers as I am not sure but I think they can really cause gas and bloating on some as they are a highly condensed food source.i.e. natural algea is mostly water. They also will cloud the water. There is a fine line between adequate nutrition and overfeeding. Tinman

[doglover_50]

I'm not a morning person and always on the run, so a.m. they get flakes.

P.M. includes some flakes (for other fish in tank) and some option of sinking shrimp pellets or one of the frozen cube options--the standard stuff. I also break up and put in the sinking algae wafers after dark hoping my pleco gets at least a little--around twice per week.

I have them trained with a little feeding ring on the surface and all of my loaches (clown, golden dojo, angelicus) high tail it to the ring with varying degrees of excitation. They go pretty wild for bloodworms.

Looking at this, and other posts, perhaps I could stand to add some more veggies to their diet.

[WhtDragn101]

lets see... flakes (mixture of a freshwater blend, spirnula flakes and a few "color" flakes), wardley shrimp pellets, hikari algae wafers (fights often ensue because of these), hikari carnivore wafers, hikari sinking wafers, herbivore sinking pellets, hikari bloodworms, hikari brine shirmp, hikari mysis shrimp (notice a pattern?), hikari krill, SFSB glassworms (from bloodworms on are frozen varitities). Also cucumber, banana, romaine lettuce, green lettuce, and prawns. They they pretty much take anything with gusto. The only thing they have never accepted is san fransisco bay beef heart. I think thats it.