Feeding Clown Loaches In A Comm. Tank

[TheATrain]

I'm about done fishless cycling my 120gal tank (48 x 24 x 24), so I'm in the process of preparing to add my full fish load once it's ready so as not to loose any of my beneficial bacteria. My initial plan is to stock with 5 adult clown loaches and a handful of tetra, danios, and barbs. I'm not as concerned with their compatibility (everywhere I've read says they will all get along fine) as I am concerned with the best type of food/method of feeding for the clown loaches. What is an ideal type of food that I can easily sink past the smaller fish in the upper and mid depths of the tank so the loaches can eat? I don't want to just overfeed the tank and hope for the best. I'd prefer a more strategic approach so I can limit algae blooms. Any thoughts or advise would be greatly appreciated. 

 

[Mikey1]

I'm about done fishless cycling my 120gal tank (48 x 24 x 24), so I'm in the process of preparing to add my full fish load once it's ready so as not to loose any of my beneficial bacteria.

 
add fish SLOWLY!....3-4 every two weeks at the absolute most,
 
adding fish too quickly to a newly cycled tank is recipe for disaster, your filter will not be able to keep up with the new bio load

 

[BigFish01]

I feed mine algae wafers, veggie wafers, carnivore pellets, blood worms, cucumber, peas, they love it all. they also do best with a varied diet too so mix it up a bit. they are a fun fish but like to hide a lot, so lots and lots of hiding places for them! my polka dotted loaches are out all the time. very social fish compared to the clown, plus the size is quite a bit smaller.. Good Luck!

 

[TheATrain]

I feed mine algae wafers, veggie wafers, carnivore pellets, blood worms, cucumber, peas, they love it all. they also do best with a varied diet too so mix it up a bit. they are a fun fish but like to hide a lot, so lots and lots of hiding places for them! my polka dotted loaches are out all the time. very social fish compared to the clown, plus the size is quite a bit smaller.. Good Luck!

I've kept clowns in the past, and their quirky behavior is the reason i fell in love with them so quickly. And yes, I've build out the tank with plenty of hiding places for them. My biggest issue with them in the past (and why I'm trying to be proactive this time) was the feeding. Blood worms would always get gobbled up by quicker, smaller fish and never make their way to the poor clowns that were usually in or near one of their "caves". I'll definitely try wafers and vegetables. I guess it makes sense that food that's too big to fit in the smaller guys' mouths would be the way to go. Thank you so much for your advice! 

I'm about done fishless cycling my 120gal tank (48 x 24 x 24), so I'm in the process of preparing to add my full fish load once it's ready so as not to loose any of my beneficial bacteria.

 
add fish SLOWLY!....3-4 every two weeks at the absolute most,
 
adding fish too quickly to a newly cycled tank is recipe for disaster, your filter will not be able to keep up with the new bio load

I've been adding straight 10% ammonia to my tank, and I've already built up enough first stage bacteria to completely break down 6ppm of ammonia in roughly half a day. My nitrite is off the chart right now, but once it finally drops I believe I'll have more than adequate amounts of first and second stage bacteria to completely process my full bio load. Is this the wrong line of thinking?

 

[Mikey1]

I've been adding straight 10% ammonia to my tank, and I've already built up enough first stage bacteria to completely break down 6ppm of ammonia in roughly half a day. My nitrite is off the chart right now, but once it finally drops I believe I'll have more than adequate amounts of first and second stage bacteria to completely process my full bio load. Is this the wrong line of thinking?

 
 
your tank, your money, and your fish, so its your decision to make, not mine,
 
if it was my tank i would still add fish slowly, 4 every two weeks, or i might push it to 6