Happiness is: Now Video too

[FranM]

Happiness is: two types of loaches, living together, having good times.

Happiness is: your biggest clown loach, resting upside down, looking so chill in the smallest confines.

Happiness is: two little teensies making their own way.

Happiness is: a repeat on the next day.

[NancyD]

Awesome Fran! I so happy your tank & loaches are all getting along now

[FranM]

I think the Kusuri was helpful. Things looked up
after that.

Thank you. I just pray it continues. It’s like being back to the 55 EXCEPT for the vibrant color. The teensies look nice and black. Mr. Slim does a bit better in the rich black category for some of the time. The smaller clown is always light. I don’t know what to make of it. I’m keeping a good eye on water parameters and they are good and steady.

Thanks Nancy.

[Basil]

Cuuuuute!

[FranM]

Thank you.

[FranM]

Mr. Slim is behaving like a spoiled Chihuahua:

https://vimeo.com/301374389

Now a teensy has gotten into the mix:

https://vimeo.com/301375665

[NancyD]

Everybody is loving the veg! I can't tell, is it cuke or zucchini?

Will they be have slightly cooked sweet potato for Thanksgiving? Pumpkin? Lots of veggies are good to try...right before a water change is good if it may be messy (broccoli & banana come to my mind).

[FranM]

That was zucchini! I will try baked sweet potato. That is safe for all?

Question: when will the teensies school with the big guys? Ever? And I hope the weaker teensy can get brave enough to come out to feed more.

[NancyD]

Safe, probably; messy, maybe too. That why I said to try any veg/fruit right before a water change. (they won't care if it's not on "the day", lol)

I never did the size/timing differences you're trying...but it seems like eventually it'll be ok. Fingers crossed for your fish, Fran. & Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours. No turkey & gravy or pie except for people

[Bas Pels]

Why not raw sweet potato? Or else cooked?

Baking is basically tenderizing in fat, and fat is something quite rare in nature.

But perhaps I'm wrong, baked beans are not fat either.

[FranM]

Thank you, Nancy and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours too. I have much to be thankful for!!

I’m reluctant to feed foods not found in nature to fish. I can get on board with the green veggies but find potatoes and banana a bit out there.

What I would like to feed is shellfish like shrimp cocktail (without the sauce). Have you, or anyone, tried that?

I’ve read before that some have fed their fish canned tuna. My fear is the fish getting the taste of blood and their wanting to go after smaller fish in the tank—especially worried about the silver dollars getting a liking to that taste.

What does everyone think?

Thanks very much.
Fran

[Bas Pels]

THE problem with feeding canned tune is not a taste of blood.

The problem is that fish meat only contains proteins - and it is very poor in vitamins or minerals.

If one would feed their fish the guts instead of the meat, the fish would benefit a lot. But even then, this would only be a good idea in case the fish are predators.

now I cannot find what fish we are talking about, but many loaches eat either a lot of little animals - whole, that is with their gut and everything in it or they eat veggies. In both cases they ingest a lot of veggies. Veggies are rich in minerals and vitamins.

If such fish are fed with a true predator feast - that is take a whole fish, put it in a foodprocessor and push the button until it is wholly homogenized - the loach will eat too little vitamins and stuff.

That's why I only use flakes. Flakes are firtsly mede from animal and veggie sources, but further they are enriched in vitamins and minerals.

In most cases this is better - in my eyes - than feeding animals.

[FranM]

Tuna or shrimp would only be a treat, not a staple. I guess that’s where added vitamins would come in.

I’ll stick to prepared, frozen and veggies.

Thanks for your input Bas.

[NancyD]

I used to feed a raw or cooked shrimp once in a while for a treat but it can be messy too. I used a long skewer to both hold it down & make removal of SOME of the leftovers easier. Again, before a WC.

I also used to make a raw seafood mix for my discus juveniles & shared it with loaches. It had clams, scallops, some kinds of fish & shrimp, sometimes with spinach. Whizzed up in a food processer, the raw shrimp helps to bind everything together a bit. But, still, it could be messy.

I did have a clown die! shortly after feeding 1 of those above options although I'd fed them many those times before. I didn't change water until the next day but too late, it was the only time I've had a clown die covered in extremely stinky thick slime. I'd read they can do that & I'd lost a couple loaches before but this was different & very gross. I assume it may have been from an ammonia spike, he seemed to have really pigged out...nobody else seemed to be affected. But the slime stink also seemed to stress the other fish.


Veggies of any kind are WAY, way less apt to cause problems like that. I had live plants (I know you don't) that would get loach shaped holes if I didn't feen romaine or zucchini at least twice a week. I've never kept silver dollars but I know they love veggies! Don't be afraid to slightly cook sweet potatoes (zap or bake), it just makes it easier for fish to eat.

Even if clowns & other loaches don't "need" veggies, they do seem to like them. So, offer them like toys for their & your amusement.

Just be a bit careful with fish or seafoods; or any animal foods like brine or mysis shrimp, or others, worms etc. Like any food, uneaten bits can cause problems.

[FranM]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Nancy. It’s truly helpful. I will def stick to veggies. And yes it’s quite entertaining for me to watch and something for the fish to do.

I think the assertive teensy is bullying the other one. I got myself into the same mess with the two new ones as I have with the older ones. If I get a couple more teensies now maybe they will all hang together? I feel like I’ve really f’ed this up.