Kuhli Loaches

[achase]

So I recently bought 4 kuhli loaches and I was wondering a few things:

1.) How do you know if you have overfeed them? I was reading on another website it was easy to overfeed them.
I doubt I'm over feeding them because my tetra's attack the blood worms I feed them (I put them on the bottom - my tetra's have turned into bottom feeders even though I feed them their own food at the top ) like piranha's so they only end up getting maybe 1 - 3 worms. Although they may get random flake bits that the tetra's miss but I doubt it.

2.) With above in mind is there a sinking pellet food that I could feed them? Something the tetra's would leave alone.

Any solutions on feeding them and not stuffing my tetra's would be great!!

 

[lauraf]

I used to use Hikari Tropical Sinking Wafers, which is said to be for catfish, loaches and other bottom feeders - no one was terribly interested, except my angels!
Quite frankly, my loaches come up to eat at the surface now, and your kuhlis will figure out where to get their food when they are good and hungry!
However, here's one idea on how to get the bloodworms past your 'piranha' tetras. If you chop the worms into tinier pieces (easier to do when they are in a little frozen square than when thawed) and dump (after thawed out in a cup of warm aquarium water) into the top of the tank, the tetras will be distracted eating them as they sink through the water, and the smaller bits will sink into the gravel crannies and be less apparent to your greedy tetras, but the kuhlis exploring the bottom will happen on these tasty snacks.

 

[riseabovethesun]

I also have four kuhli loaches and as soon as I put them in the tank they were swimming everywhere from bottom to top. I think yours might end up doing this once they get settled in, but mine will eat falling flakes and go to the top and get them. I have some TetraMin granules that they like to pick at once they soften up, I used to use them because my algae eater loved them, but he recently died on my carpet. :/ Oh and I do have some bloodworms they eat sometimes but like flakes more -- not sure why.

I notice mine also always seem to be picking at the substrate for any leftover anything. I think yours will be fine, I'd probably just stick to feeding how you are and as long as you aren't overfeeding your fish I don't think you'll be overfeeding them.

 

[achase]

Awesome! Thanks for all the advice!

 

[bassbonediva]

I feed all my bottom dwellers (cories, USD catfish and kuhlis) sinking shrimp pellets and they love them. None of my piggly-wiggly platies will touch them, either, because they are too big when they're first dropped in and by the time they've softened and are easily eaten by my bottom dwellers, the platies' ADOS (Attention Defecit...Oh Shiny!) has kicked in and they've forgotten completely about the pellets.

 

[achase]

I think I'm going to pick up some sinking pellets because I don't want to over feed my tetra's.

Thanks for the advice everyone...I'm addicted to this forum because it's always a learning experience.

 

[stoddern]

hikari sinking wafers are good if I can't get them I go for wardley's, also most suckers like some fresh zucinni, spinich, non iceburg lettace's and a few other veggies, most of us use a rubberband or something to strap it to a rock or driftwood or something to wiegh it downleave the fresh veggies in for a day to a day and a half then take out the uneaten.