Yoyo Loach Size Difference

[Circus]

So I have had my Yoyo Loaches since February and some of them show good growth. Others are the same size as when I purchased them.

The largest one is about 3.5 inches and has doubled in size since February. The smallest is not even 1.5 inches, I don't think it has grown at all in the 6 months I have had them.
They are in a 55 gallon, 4 foot long tank, I would call it a medium amount of planting. I have it at 77° F and the lights are on about 10 hours a day. They get fed a variety of fluval bug bites foods, live baby brine shrimp, frozen krill and frozen blood worms.

Is there a reason a couple of them haven't grown, am I doing anything wrong that is stunting growth?

 

[Colin_T]

They have a pecking order with the dominant female taking most of the food and lower ranking fish getting less food. Make sure you feed them well so they all get a good meal.

 

[Circus]

They have a pecking order with the dominant female taking most of the food and lower ranking fish getting less food. Make sure you feed them well so they all get a good meal.

I certainly try. I feed in three spots in the tank, and have actually been worried about over feeding them. Most of my foods are floating or slow sinking, so maybe I'll try to get some more sinking pellets.

 

[Colin_T]

Try raw/ cooked prawn/ shrimp. Use cooked if you have live shrimp in the tank, to prevent disease.

Frozen foods like bloodworms, brineshrimp, daphnia, mysis shrimp will all be taken.

 

[Circus]

I'll try incorporating frozen and live foods more than once a week, and buy a larger selection when I go to the fish store. I didn't realize that uncooked feeding shrimp would infect my cherry shrimp, but it does make sense. I appreciate the tip.

 

[Colin_T]

Yeah shrimp and fish can carry microsporidia parasites and if you feed it to other fish or shrimp, they can catch it and die. The most common symptom of a microsporidian infection is the muscle tissue in the body turns white. It can be treated in its early stages by using salt, but it's preferable to avoid using raw fish or shrimp that have a noticeably white flesh.

If you see any raw shrimp with white muscle tissue in the tail (the part we eat), that is a microsporidian infection.

 

[Circus]

It feels like I will never stop learning more about fish keeping, and I consider that a good thing!