# Feeding Clown loaches in african cichlid community tank



## dkreef (May 23, 2008)

i got 3 but seems like they are getting skinnier. they cant or wont try to eat flakes or pellets during feeding time. my other cichlids are too fast. 
i got about 100 fish now in 350gal. they are malawi, some tangs(tropheus, leleupi, brichardi, etc), rainbows, etc

what can i do to keep them fat?

I was thinkin of dropping a flat pellet at night. ppl do this to feed plecos.


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## TailorO (Apr 7, 2008)

What kind of pellets have you tried? My clown loaches eat the New Life Spectrum, same as my cichlids. They have been eating it just fine for about a year and have grown very well and are never skinny.


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## squiggly (Mar 22, 2007)

I also feed NLS but give them shrimp pellets (they love 'em).

Mine are pleasantly plump  just like they are supposed to be.

Try some, I'm sure they will love it!

(I scare the fish away from a corner of the tank before pouring in. It gives it time to sink and (hopefully) go unnoticed by the other fish. They learn which corner to hang out at :wink:


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

I feed NLS , I always make sure some food makes it to the bottom, where my loaches and pleco's feed like crazy. They stay fat on this and the fact that I have trumpet snails in my tank. Their favorite snack!


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## FishAreFriends (Dec 23, 2004)

Try feeding some algae wafers when you feed everyone else and make sure to drop them in the area they are in when you feed. This should give them the best chance to eat and if they dont...well maybe they are on a diet! :thumb:


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## auratum (Jul 6, 2006)

I have 8 clown loaches that started out as a group of 12 - 2 yrs ago. I have fed NLS the entire time and they out eat the rest of my cichlids. I have found that when I feed in the morning they will come right up to the top and grab pellets from the surface before they have a chance to sink and then pick every last pellet out of the gravel. Late in the day when I feed, sometimes they don't even come out of the rock work (lots of big rocks for them to hide in) - I have never figured out why this is. My biggest clown loach is pushing 7 inches now and he is a beast - he has to be a full inch wide across the belly.


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## morningsky (Apr 22, 2008)

> Late in the day when I feed, sometimes they don't even come out of the rock work


My loaches go to bed early too. :lol: They also eat with the rest of my cichlids and then pick thru sand and rocks all day. I have four of them.


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## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

You could get a pvc pipe to run from the water surface to about an inch from the substrate. Drop pellets or sinkning sticks in the top of the pipe, they will sink to the bottom without your other fish being aware


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