Algae Wafers

[twingogeekeo]

When i bought my Hillstream loach i also bought some Algae Wafers.

The guy in the LFS said to drop a wafer in every 2 days and it doesnt matter what time of the day. So i have done but it seems to disappear. I dropped one in today before i went to work at 6.30am come home and its gone! I have a feeling the fish are taking a liking to them. Any ideas what to do?

Wondering if maybe im not feeding the fish enough flakes i feed them one a day.

The tank has in it

1 Gourami
3 Guppy
3 Platy
6 Tetra

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Which loach species did you buy?

You do realise that many hillstream loach species appear to be eating the algae, but in the wild they are feeding on the aufwuchs (tiny microscopic life living in and around the algae) i.e. they are more carnivores than vegetarians?

 

[Akasha72]

with the fish you have they will eat an algae wafer in about an hour maybe. My platies will fight the guppies & cories for algae wafers. They also move it around the tank with their noses so when you see it's gone check under decorations etc as algae wafers rot away if they're not fully eaten and then cause ammonia to rise.

My fish get fed twice a day. Today they've had flake and cory pellets for breakfast and frozen bloodworms for tea. There's no way they are hungry but if I dropped an algae wafer in now they'd still eat it.

 

[twingogeekeo]

If fed mine tonight with Daphnia and they have the flakes in the morning. MAybe ill go to feeding them twice aday. I use to but fought i might have been over feeding them. I might try dropping a wafer in at night see if they react to it ive had a look around and couldnt see the wafer. I just scared my hillstream isnt eating and might starve to death

Also thi is what my hillstream looks like. This isnt mine but the same

http/www.loaches.com/articles/images/life-in-the-fast-lane-photographs/Sponge2.JPG/image_preview

Also thi is what my hillstream looks like. This isnt mine but the same

http/www.loaches.com/articles/images/life-in-the-fast-lane-photographs/Sponge2.JPG/image_preview

 

[Akasha72]

regarding your feeding ... I've always fed twice a day and the only fish that are looking over-fed are my 5 month old platies. They still have a lot of growing up to do so I don't worry about it.

If you only feed enough for them to consume in less than 1 minute over-feeding shouldn't become an issue.

Regarding the wafers ... I would put them in at night when you go to bed and the tank lights are out. I've had this advice for getting the algae wafers to my cories and away from the platy thieves

I'm afraid I can't offer any advice on your loach as it's not a type of fish that interests me. I would guess though that it probably is getting more food than you think and from what N.O.T.G has said it will be eating the micro-sized stuff in the tank that we can't see.

 

[rvpeary]

I feed my plecos algae wafers at night as i switch the lights off. The other fishes dont seem to notice them and the plecos are much more confident in the dark so come out and feed. This seems to work ok for me

 

[twingogeekeo]

Ive just placed the wafer on the castle in the tank. No one has taken a liking to it yet

 

[twingogeekeo]

Good news still in the same place on the castle