How To Properly Feed Loaches? (Articles On Subject Not Helpful)

[jrabin]

I have a 37 gallon community tank, which has been up and running for a couple of months now. It is heavily planted with numerous Amazon Swords and others with tons of hiding spots.I have a standard fluorescent light that came with the kit, which runs about 11 hours a day on a timer. I have an airstone with pretty good circulation and an activated carbon filter and sponge filter. Ammonia and nitrite levels are zero, as confirmed by test kits.The tank is cycled.
 
There are seven rosy barbs, four platies, eight cardinal tetras and one African dwarf frog. The latest edition are five zebra loaches as of one week ago.
 
I have read all the articles about feeding zebra loaches and their habits and care. Unfortunately, the articles don't really help me and I'm kind of stumped. 
 
Here's the issue: I have no idea how much or how often I should be feeding these guys or even if they are actually eating what I feed them.
 
My loaches hide when I am around. They are almost always underground. I do see them milling around a particular decoration which I believe they have made their fortress hideout. They almost never leave although I do catch glimpses of one or two exploring from time to time and even 3-4 of them swimming around. If I am at a distance, they do not seem to mind me being around. As soon as I approach the tank, they hide again.
 
 When I feed the other fish flake food, the loaches are nowhere to be seen and the other fish gobble it all up.
 
I have sinking catfish pellets, but the loaches simply won't touch them when I am around, and the other fish just swarm the pellets and eat them eventually.
 
I have simply been tossing a handful of pelletts (6-7) into the tank after dark before bed, on the theory that the loaches will eat the food when it is dark (and I am not around) and the other fish will not see the pelletts. This is a guess on my part since of course I have no idea if the loaches are eating at all. Moreover, I have no idea what quantity is appropriate - the pellett package says what they will eat in 20 minutes, which is pretty useless instruction to me, since of course I don't know if they're eating at all, let alone how long it is taking them to eat the food. For all I know the other fish end up eating everything. For all I know I am massively overfeeding my other fish and contaminating the tank with wasted food. Who knows? Articles online will not even give me a ballpark as to quantity, they just assume that I am able to observe the feeding by eye, which I am of course not.
 
So I'm stumped. Maybe my loaches are eating, maybe they're not. Maybe they're eating too much, maybe too little. Maybe my loaches are starving and my other fish are overreating - who knows?
 
The articles on loaches on the internet seem to pre-suppose that I have the ability to see observe them eating, which seems to be a false assumption unless I stake out the tank at night with night vision goggles.
 
I could try bloodworms or vegetables as some articles suggest, but what's the point? My other fish would just swarm the food and devour it instantly and the loaches won't even appear if I am around. 
 
It's only been a week, so maybe the loaches will become a little more social eventually? But in the meantime, what do I do? Keeping throwing in random quantities of pellets at night and crossing my fingers?

 

[Ninjouzata]

Any chance of a picture of your tank so we can see the layout and such? I am wondering if there is not enough cover and that is why they're hiding. They could just be settling in though.
 
What type of pellets are you using? What size are your loaches? I imagine the number of pellets would depend on how big they are.
These are chunkier than my khuli loaches but if it helps mine get 1 pellet each 4-5 days a week, frozen bloodworms 1 day, and I fast for one day.
 
You may want to wait til lights are out and then put the pellets in their fortress, possibly burying them just slightly. They will nose around and find them
 
Sorry I don't have any first hand experience with your type of loach, but wanted you to have a response in the mean time til someone with more experience hopefully comes along.

 

[TrickySpot]

My clown loaches hid 100% of the time after I moved them a lot when I had an ammonia emergency....then I started tapping on the glass just before I fed them...after about a week, if I tapped they would come out and look, now they are out all the time....I think its just how at home they feel, may take a while....but if they know the big thing moving in the room = food, that may help

 

[jrabin]

I believe you can see from the photo that I have quite alot of cover. The loaches' fortress is that driftwood thing at the back left. I do occasionally see one or two scouting the rest of the tank, but they seldom venture far from their base.
 
The pellets are Hikari sinking wafers for bottom feeders. There's  actually a picture of a clown loach and what I guess is a Mongolian or Yo-Yo loach on the cover, so I'm assuming it's appropriate for zebras.
 
I haven't measured my zebras, but eyeballing it I'm guessing they range in size from 2 to 3 1/2 inches in length.
 
My plan is now to try dropping 2 pellets in the back (where their hideout is) early in the morning (5:30) when I get up while the lights are still out, another 2 at around 5:30 when I feed the other fish their flakes and then 3 around 9:00 just before bed (after the light has gone out). I do have frozen blood worms, but I have no earthly clue how I would ever get them to the loaches before the other fish devour them...
 
Are 7 pellets a day too much for 5 loaches? Too little? It's so frustrating that there's no ballpark or baseline anywhere except the time measurement, which for the reasons I have mentioned, is completely useless!!

 

[Mamashack]

Trying pushing the pellets a lttle way under the gravel surface like Ninj said then the other fish can't get to them

 

[jrabin]

"Trying pushing the pellets a lttle way under the gravel surface like Ninj said then the other fish can't get to them"
 
My problem with this is I still won't know how much they're eating or how much to feed them. I'm flying completely blind here.
 
Does anyone have even a ballpark of how many sinking pellets five zebra loaches need on a daily basis? 5? 10? 100? This is what is driving me crazy, no one anywhere seems to know! Surely someone must have calculated this even in ballpark terms???

 

[TwoTankAmin]

None of your other fish are nocturnal. if you put in sinking food at lighta out in an area where you can see the food land and then it is gone by morning, onlyt the loaches are getting it. Zebra loach is a common name an can apply to more than one species. if you have Botiahistronica:
 

 
Care: This is a relatively placid member of the genus Botia. Gregarious and curious, they are well suited to the community tank, but should be kept in numbers of 3 to 5 or more. Unlike a number of other Botia species, B. histrionica will be seen more regularly in the daytime if given ample hiding spots, a large aquarium (minimum 60 gallons, but larger tanks will see more activity), and the clean water that suits other Botiine loaches.
Feeding: Readily accepts quality flake food, sinking wafers, fresh vegetables, brine shrimp, bloodworms, etc... Not a finicky eater.

from http/www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-histronica
 
If you have Botia striata:

 
Care: A peaceful, active, shoaling species that should be maintained in groups of 5 or more in the community aquarium. Keep on a fine sandy substrate in order to protect the delicate sensory barbel area, and ensure that there are plenty of hiding places in the aquarium amongst bogwood, caves, and plants. Clean, well-aerated water is a must.
Feeding: Will accept most brands of dry sinking catfish pellets, but should be offered a variety of frozen foods to supplement the diet - mosquito larvae, brineshrimp, and daphnia are usually taken with much enthusiasm. Vegetable matter such as slices of cucumber will also be appreciated. This species, as with other Botiine loaches, will eat small aquatic snails

from http/www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-striata
 
If you have Sinibotia robusta:

 
Care: This family of fish are sub-tropical and live throughout China in fast to medium flow streams, over a rock and gravel substrate. They therefore appreciate current in their aquarium, good aeration and filtration.
Feeding: Easy to feed. Eagerly accepts most brands of dry sinking catfish pellets, and good quality flake, but should be offered a variety of frozen foods to supplement the diet - bloodworm, mosquito larvae and brineshrimp are usually taken with much enthusiasm.

from http/www.loaches.com/species-index/sinibotia-robusta
 
If you have Yunnanilus cruciatus:

 
Care: In the wild, Yunnanilus cruciatus are found in the shallow, relatively still parts of rivers packed with dense aquatic vegetation. The river bed is muddy and sandy in these areas. Often there is floating plant cover, which diffuses the light. The aquarium should mimic the natural conditions as close as possible, with gentle water movement and dense planting. These loaches are sensitive when first imported, so ensure that the tank is mature. Tankmates should be small and peaceful. Y. cruciatus sometimes hover in midwater but more often than not, will be seen swimming head down at a 45 degree angle whilst scouring the substrate for food. Ideally the substrate will be soft sand to protect the delicate sensory barbels. Despite the latin name (cruciatus, meaning torment/torture), these loaches do not appear particularly antagonostic and can be kept in large groups.
Feeding: These diminutive loaches require a variety of small foodstuffs. Frozen baby brineshrimp, daphnia, and cyclops are all taken eagerly. Will also feed on small sinking pellets/granules, and crushed flake/powdered fry foods.

from http/www.loaches.com/species-index/yunnanilus-cruciatus
 
I doubt you have Pseudogastromyzon fasciatus, but if you do, the info is here http/www.loaches.com/species-index/pseudogastromyzon-fasciatus

 

[fluttermoth]

Does anyone have even a ballpark of how many sinking pellets five zebra loaches need on a daily basis? 5? 10? 100? This is what is driving me crazy, no one anywhere seems to know! Surely someone must have calculated this even in ballpark terms???

If you work on the principle that a fish's stomach is roughly the same size as it's eye, and that they need that amount of food a day, then you should be able to work out how much; probably two or three pellets per fish, depending on how large they are.

 

[jrabin]

"None of your other fish are nocturnal. if you put in sinking food at lighta out in an area where you can see the food land and then it is gone by morning, onlyt the loaches are getting it. Zebra loach is a common name an can apply to more than one species. if you have Botiahistronica:"
 
From the photos you provided, I am certain I have Striata.
 
That's extremely helpful. So the barbs and cardinals can't home in on food in the dark? They actually can't find it?? (If that's true then fantastic!) 
 
Flutter, thanks for the info. Given what you've said, I think what I've been doing (2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, 4 before bed) may be right after all. Perhaps I'll up that to 3 / 3 / 5

 

[TwoTankAmin]

It is not that they can not find it, it''s that they are asleep after dark. Fish pretty much do not see in the dark. Those that are nocturnal have different means. Some have a weak electrical sense like knife fish, some have barbels or whiskers like assorted catfish, others sense vibrations. Those barbels on the mouth of your loaches enable them to find food in/on the substrate even though they cannot see it.