Feeding Hillstream Loaches

[KaitieG]

Hello,

I received a shipment of loaches on Monday that had been in the mail several days.  I've been trying to offer very high-quality foods--live bbs, frozen bbs, frozen daphnia, Repashy Community Plus and Soilent Green.  These are the first loaches I've had and the dwarf chains are pretty high-energy and just move in a mass around the tank.  I've seen them eat. 

I have not yet seen any of the 4 hillstream loaches eat.  They're pretty much always suctioned to the glass--they zoom around now and then and like hanging behind the filter (it's a qt tank so has some fake plants, rocks but not as many hides as my regular tanks).  Anyone have tips on getting them to eat and/or knowing if they're eating?  I can't really picture them catching BBS while they're suctioned to the wall, but I don't know.  I thought they'd go for Repashy, but I haven't SEEN them take an interest in it (I've spent a few hours watching).  

I appreciate any suggestions/advice!

[Jeff]

I would try an algae wafer, and possibly a slice of cucumber.

[Colu]

Repashy soilent green algae wafers and cucumber blanched lettuce

[KaitieG]

Will do!  Do you know if they prefer eating during the day or at night?  I've been trying to offer at both times.

[Brandy]

I haven't seen them eat either when I have kept them in the past. I wonder if you could paste thin repashy on some smooth rocks? or smear on the glass...?

Edited March 12, 2021 by Brandy

[KaitieG]

9 minutes ago, Brandy said:

I haven't seen them eat either when I have kept them in the past. I wonder if you could paste thin repashy on some smooth rocks? or smear on the glass...?

I've been wondering about somehow getting it onto the glass.  They're just never flat on the substrate.  They don't look particularly skinny, actually, but smearing Repashy on the glass sounds interesting...not sure it's something I want to do long term, but I could try it in the ugly qt tank.

[Brandy]

Yeah long term would be no...but if your QT was recently set up it might not have much biofilm or algae.

[Lifeisgood]

I agree with what has been suggested.  Mine will eat sinking pellets and granules of many kinds.  They do love eating biofilm off Anubias plants.  I try to sprinkle granules on the anubias plants.  So if you have one of those you could put in your QT tank,  they will enjoy that and might make it their favorite hangout.  I do put the wafers and granules in when I turn my lights off because the barbs are greedy.  

[KaitieG]

 

7 hours ago, Lifeisgood said:

I agree with what has been suggested.  Mine will eat sinking pellets and granules of many kinds.  They do love eating biofilm off Anubias plants.  I try to sprinkle granules on the anubias plants.  So if you have one of those you could put in your QT tank,  they will enjoy that and might make it their favorite hangout.  I do put the wafers and granules in when I turn my lights off because the barbs are greedy.  

Thanks for that suggestion!  I have plenty of anubias, but that would lead to another question...can I put plants from a qt tank back into a display tank when I'm done or will they be contaminated...and for how long?

[KaitieG]

10 hours ago, Brandy said:

Yeah long term would be no...but if your QT was recently set up it might not have much biofilm or algae.

It's been setup for almost 2 years, but it doesn't have much algae, and I pulled most of the live plants out before making it a QT tank b/c I wasn't sure about "ruining" them in there.

[gardenman]

6 minutes ago, KaitieG said:

 

Thanks for that suggestion!  I have plenty of anubias, but that would lead to another question...can I put plants from a qt tank back into a display tank when I'm done or will they be contaminated...and for how long?

If you're moving the fish to the main tank then you can move the plants at the same time. They're less likely to be contaminated than the fish were. As long as you're comfortable moving the fish, the plants should be fine.

[Lifeisgood]

I don’t know what size your QT tank is, but partitioning it off so you can separate the loaches might be helpful.  It may not be necessary, but part of my purposes for a QT tank is to help my fish get fattened up and strengthened from the trauma of shipping.  It is the stress of this which brings out Ich and the like. I had a number of Hillstream loaches die after shipping.  They would show a pink blotch on their underside and then die the next day.  Two came with this in the bag off the truck.  It probably was ammonia related but I am not sure. Now I have them shipped in separate bags when I order them and pamper them when I get them.  They have done well since.