Clown Loaches and feeding

[Directorate]

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

[mickthefish]

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

[Directorate]

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

[Emma Turner]

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

[shari2]

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.

[Tinman]

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.

[Mad Duff]

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.