Feeding Kuhli loach zuchinni? I dont see him eat it.

I'm been putting in zuchinni tied to a rock the last few days to try to feed my kuhli loach. After putting in one piece, day 1, no one really touching it except for mini snails. 2nd day...at the midday when the zuchinni is more soft and beat up, i see more action, shrimp munching on it, endler picking at it. I've never seen the khuli loach munch at it. Should I assume that he munches on it at night? My loach is pretty active during the day too...

2nd question. These guys are supposed to be super smart at eating food at the bottom? Sometimes I put in fish flakes and make them sink to the bottom with my fingers, and it has to be right in their face or they dont eat it. Unless finally they go snooping around and run into a flake... So... are these guys supposed to be super smart at finding food at the bottom?

 

Are you blanching (dropping it in boiling water for a short time) the zucchini before you offer it to your fish? If not, blanching it can make it more appealing/easier to eat.

Smart at finding food is an interesting way of putting it. They tend to know when food is in the water very quickly, as they get excited and start looking for it almost immediately. I've always assumed they must have a good sense of smell. But, knowing there is food is not the same as being able to quickly locate it. They tend to sort of fumble around until they bump into the food. So, your observations sound consistent with my own.

 

I don’t think kulli’s eat cucumbers anyway you cook it. They’re loaches they eat meatier foods. They’re scavenger’s.

 

I don’t think kulli’s eat cucumbers anyway you cook it. They’re loaches they eat meatier foods. They’re scavenger’s.

That's what I was thinking too. But, I did a youtube search before I answered the question to see if there was any footage of kuhli loaches eating cucumber, and there's at least one where they appear to be nibbling on it. That being said, it's a good point to make. I've personally never fed my kuhli loaches cucumber.

 

Kuhlis are omnivorous, but I don't know if many of them would go for pure vegetables when given a choice. If it is mixed into other processed foods I expect they would eat it, but as it is the zucchini will probably be more of a snack for the shrimp. That isn't a bad thing though, I feed blanched zuchinni to my Amanos, Neos, Mystery Snails, and Otos regularly. The kuhlis may prefer something like an algae wafer or sinking pellet since they also contain proteins. Hikari is a good brand for those, it's what I use for my tank

 

I have these bottom feeder tablets that were recommended by the fish store. If I put one in the fish tank, it does stay around for a few hours and all the fish nibble on it. Are you guys confident that the kuhli loach will find it if I drop it in? I could also split it in half and put them in 2 diff locations...

 

I have these bottom feeder tablets that were recommended by the fish store. If I put one in the fish tank, it does stay around for a few hours and all the fish nibble on it. Are you guys confident that the kuhli loach will find it if I drop it in? I could also split it in half and put them in 2 diff locations...

Yes, drop them in after lights out when kuhli's are more active and other fish are not.

 

The problem w/ that is the fish tank is at the office and I leave work at 6pm ish. So I can't do lights out feeding...

With the shrimp pellets you guys use, do you just put 2 of them anywhere in tank and they will find it? Or better to put in a litttle feeding dish.?

 

Sinking pellets or wafers way to go with kuhlis. Im sure your kuhli is getting plenty of food. They are using their barbels to detect the food. I got some food from aquatic blended foods they seem to go wild for.
How big is the tank? More the better with kuhlis!

 

You can try other veggies, squash, yam, and Mellon, and see if they have a preference. I suggest that you steam it, it sofents up the food and you lose fewer nutrients than boiling. I know you said you're in an office, freezing, and unthawing softens up food as well. veggies are good for the shrimp. My yoyo, zebra, and polk a dot loaches dive bomb veggies!
But they really dont need veggies. What they really need is a good source of protein that many fish foods are lacking. FYI,Hikari is one of the worst. I suggest bug bites bottom feeder pellets.

 

They might nibble it but they won't really just sit there and eat it. I have 20 or 30 kuhli loaches in my aquariums and when I put zuc in for the pleco; they sniff it and give it a thumb down and go after bug bites and shrimp pellets. The only loach i have that will really sit there and eat the stuff are the clown loaches. The zebra and yoyo loaches I have mostly ignore it. That's not to say the clown loach relish it but they are always hungry (I'm talking about the larger clown loaches the small ones won't touch the stuff). It goes something like this - the clown loaches will eat a bit and the other loaches will see them and come over to figure out what is so yummy. They sort of poke at it discover the clown loach has weird taste and go off to find something better. Anyway back to kuhli they definitely prefer a meat heavy diet with a touch of salad on the side. I will say they are more likely to nibble on decaying plant matter than zuc.

 

The problem w/ that is the fish tank is at the office and I leave work at 6pm ish. So I can't do lights out feeding...

With the shrimp pellets you guys use, do you just put 2 of them anywhere in tank and they will find it? Or better to put in a litttle feeding dish.?

That's ok. Is there an aquarium light on the tank? If so it would be best to turn it off before feeding so that it's not so bright. Kuhli's will sniff out food wherever you drop it but you should have some cover in the tank for them to hide in. Do you have a hollow log or thick plants or some other cover where they normally spend most of their time? It would be best to drop the pellets somewhere near that. Before long you will see them coming out as soon as they smell it in the water.

 

Yeah I can turn off the light before I leave... Ok, thx for the tips. He just hides mostly near the water heater since I don't have logs or anything. (Just some plants)I am looking for a nice small log though.

 

Do you only have one loach? they are extremely social and thrive in groups of 12 plus.
If you are still looking for a log consider a hollow decoration where loaches can explore, and hang out.

 

Yeah just one... where do u guys find logs at? Yeah hollow logs...

 

Amazon, petstores, I made one out of clay at a bust bee store. It doesnt need to be real.