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Im not familiar with the loach you got, but you should satrt feeding it the shrimp.

It WILL eat the scraps that fall from the other fish (yes, scraps do fall), but it might get underfed.

It wasnt a mistake mixing the fish, but it was a mistake to cycle the tank with the loaches in. Also, most loaches need 3 or more, so after your cycle, please buy 2 more friends for your loach.

I recently started in the hobby and my first purchase was a Botia kubotai (I think) and five Platys. I'm only two days in but I'm worried the Platys, hungry pigs that they are, are eating all the flake food before it gets to the bottom. Since I'm cycling a new a tank I don't want to overfeed. Is there anyway to ensure "Oswald' the loach is getting some food? He comes out of his cave during feeding time but not for very long. He's a little shy right now and comes out only once in awhile, usually just to give me the "evil" eye.

I have some brine shrimp I plan on rotating into the schedule, but I've read here and elsewhere that they like vegetables or worms. Any advice? Did I screw up mixing the two species this early? I only got Oswald on the advice from the store owner...however, he's already got more personality than the others combined.

I'm surprised nobody suggested feeding them after light sou. most fish feed only during daytime but some species like loaches love hunting around at nighttime for food.
p.s., if you did suggest it I'm sorry I didn't read thru all posts more carefully

spinach?

Last edited by divertran at 29-Jun-2005 05:44

I feed mine once a week on live blood worms... they love to eat snails (they a barb in their gills for removing snails from their shells)... they also get shrimp pellets... a premium tropical fish flake (which I stir up so they sink) vegies (cucumber,broccoli,zucchini,pumpkin) that I put in for my BN's and Pleco, frozen brine shrimp twice a week.. live brine shrimp once a week and frozen blood worm...plus there's usually an algae disk laying around and tid bits that the cory's dont eat etc...

Yeah, the pellets seem to work great. The other fish generally ignore them. I tried zucchini and lettuce but both went untouched. Surprising since I'm sure he's an omnivore. I'll try some other veggies as you all have suggested.

One trick I came up with is to take a small length of PVC, add an end cap and place some bloodworms in it. I dig a shallow hole in the gravel and slowly place the tube in it laying length-ways. The angle prevents the Platies from getting in but "Oswald" swims in easily and gets his share without fighting for leftovers. Nifty, huh?

i'd go for pellets to feed the little guy

My YoYo's love fresh and drained canned spinach.

Merm

you won't need a different cave for each fish...they love to snuggle in all together in tight places...they will all stay together in the same cave.

From everything I've read so far the two are almost identical except coloration and even treat each other as the same species. I wonder if kubotai is just a variation or sub-species of the B. almorhae (yo-yo) or B. histrionica (golden zebra). All three share the same body shape/size, forked tail and general coloring. Another close fish is B. rostrata (twin banded).

I want to start a loach tank now! They all rock!

Last edited by coyote1066 at 07-Jun-2005 20:48

i absolutly LOVE those loaches.

Do they act similar to YoYo loaches? (this was just based on how htey look similar in body shape)

Just wanted to update again. I'm on day 6 and Oswald the loach is doing fine. He comes out more often now and never misses a feeding. I think the pellets have worked tremendously. I did buy some zucchini and tied a 1/4" slice to a weight but he doesn't seem interested. I even blanched it. Any other veggie suggestions? How do I weigh down peas or do they sink after being heated a little?

Also, I have a picture of him in case you're wondering what a kubotai looks like.

https://home.comcast.net/~coyote10/oswald.jpg

Last edited by coyote1066 at 07-Jun-2005 17:43

I'll definitely run out and get some pellets today for him.

He does have a pretty nice cave to hide in but I'm guessing if I get more I'll have to get separate caves for each, right? Originally I had planned on algae eaters in the long run, but he's really cool so I'll stick with his species.

I'll update more as the cycle goes on. So far so good.


Update: I bought some shrimp pellets tonight but I'm a little concerned about those darn platies. Once they finish up top they start hunting around in the rocks. With their upturned mouths will they be able to eat effectively from the bottom? I don't want them to get the loach's food.


Last edited by coyote1066 at 04-Jun-2005 00:18

Try some Hikari Algae Wafers, and Shrimp Pellets, he will love them I'm not positive about your loach, but I know my clowns and some other breeds are absolutely insane about snailsnot that I suggest adding snails to the tankBut, if you do end up with some they may not last all that long

Add a couple of shrimp pellets, and algae wafers a day or so and he'll love you for it...

Enjoy, hml

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

i i've had 2 of those loaches for about 1 year or so...very cool fish...however you should be sure to have a nice cave for him and buy at least one more like him 2 more like him being the best...they eat pretty much anything and are usually not shy to fight for food they can even be a little aggresive but most times they just wrestle between themselves. For now he does not come out much because he is still getting used to his new home...they also sleep a lot in the day inside of their cave...

I haven't been home much since I got them, and the tank isn't in my room or anything so I don't see much of them, but they seem to be fine. I feed the tank algae wafers and TetraMin Tropical Granules.

Castlequest, any tips about them? Favorite foods, etc.

I have three botia kubotai, cute little things.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

Ooops, I think I gave the impression I added them the same day I set up the tank. I actually waited a couple of days for the system to stabiize. I conditioned the water and have been testing it daily. So far everything is fine.

I understand that I'm now in a sticky situation where I'm actually going to "have to" overfeed to some extent either through algae wafers or extra flake/shrimp. As a result I'll have to stay on top of the ammonia and nitrite levels with possible water changes. Do I have it right?

I guess the store owner figured that since I was a beginner I would naturally overfeed and a loach would help. I guess he didn't figure I'd go by the book.

I did overfeed a little tonight with shrimp and I'm certain some pieces made it down. Once the timer shut off the light, the loach promptly came out to burrow in the gravel. I wonder if he doesn't care for the fluorescent light.

I'll also try to get him some buddies once the cycle is over.

Here's a link to what I think he is:

http://loaches.com/species_pages/botia_sp_myanmar.html

pellet food realy is the best for bottom feeders as it sinks instanly and its quite natural for the surface feeders to eat most of the food before it sinks.

and as for the cycling prosses i would have waited at LEAST 1 week.

do u have amonia an nitrite test kits as these will tel u wen the cycle is complete and since you've already added fish to the tank i'd be changing maybe 5% of the tank a day to make sure the abouve parramiters don't get out hand

sorry i got a bit of the track as far as your origional question goes pellets would be best for your bottom feeders

:88)Dec:88)

you should also try some sinking wafers like algae wafers or spirulina disks. and i also think it was not a good idea to put those fish in a cycling tank.

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