Setting up my second loach tank.

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Fed the roselines their first ever meal of bloodworms. Surprisingly they prioritized the sinkers, ate a LOT of them, and would have become too full to eat the floaters if I fed any more than I did (thankfully it seems I fed just enough to leave them enough appetite for floaters).

Anyone else experienced this? Ever since I decided I wanted roselines for this tank, I was counting on them to eat the floaters loaches tend not to eat/don't eat much of because they already filled up on sinkers, which (floaters) are surprisingly common in the big flat of Hikari bloodworms I bought.

As a solution, I think I will be thawing the bloodworms in a deep bowl of tank water instead of the usual tea strainer in a cup of tank water, so that the floaters and sinkers are distinct before I feed them.
That way I can use the tea strainer to scoop the floaters out and feed them first, so that they can actually be what the roselines primarily eat.

 

[Midwater]

If I was a fish, and you fed me the floaters first, and then when I was full up, you threw in some nice plump sinkers, I would feel highly annoyed. Feed me the sinkers and eat the floaters yourself!

On a serious note, you could get some top dwellers. Pinktails (which are too big for your tank) ignore everything that sinks. Could you find a few compatible smallish top dwellers?

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

If I was a fish, and you fed me the floaters first, and then when I was full up, you threw in some nice plump sinkers, I would feel highly annoyed. Feed me the sinkers and eat the floaters yourself!

Lol.

On a serious note, you could get some top dwellers. Pinktails (which are too big for your tank) ignore everything that sinks. Could you find a few compatible smallish top dwellers?

I think I'll stick to training the roselines to eat the floaters (which are the minority of the bloodworms, so I doubt they'd fill up once they ate them all) by feeding them first. They can always eat some sinkers should they need something more substantial, but those floaters have to be eaten one way or the other.

A pink tail (which you may or may not have read about) was planned for this tank before I realized it got too big - funny you should mention it. There are going to be the 15 Odessa barbs for other smallish top dwellers, and I don't think I'll get anything more for stocking/aesthetic reasons.

So far the Odessas seem apt to eat the floating food in the 110 liter. If this tendency stays with them when they move, they might help the roselines get with the program.

 

[Uglyknob]

Not sure what bloodworms you're using, but I put 4 or 5 frozen bricks in a little Tupperware dish with tank water in it. I nuke it for 30 seconds and then swirl it around until everything is broken up pretty well. Bloodworms will drop like a brick. I have halfbeaks that get the few floaters and then everybody else snags stuff as it falls to the waiting maws of the loach cleanup crew.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Thanks for the suggestion. The bloodworms as mentioned are Hikari.
I think the reason the floaters float is because they appear to have a very high proportion of buoyant chitin shell, compared to the meatier, heavier sinkers. Don't know whether nuking would fix that.

 

[Uglyknob]

Ah, sorry, missed the Hikari part. I just nuke everything. Zuchini? Slice it up and slap it in some tank water, nuke it til it boils... sinker. Frozen blood worms and mysis? Nuke it. Sinker. Rinse and repeat.

I don't like floaters cause I like to leave the pump running and floaters will get sucked into the weir if they don't get picked up quick enough. If I do flake food, I dip it so that it sinks.

Between the clowns, garras, and whisker shrimp, there aren't any scraps at the bottom anyway.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

I always turn off pumps for feeding anyway, so it was never a concern. Having the food blown around inconveniences everyone.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Took some recent photos of the kuhlis lounging in the fake plants. These ones seemed to be finding something to eat within the fake plants too.
Perhaps it was the microorganisms that grow on all established fish tank decor, as there was no visible fish food in the plants and no recent feedings either. It was quite amusing and interesting to watch, all things considered.

(Note that there are 3 in the 3rd picture, the head of the 3rd can be seen right above the 2nd)

Fishman Dave has mentioned in another thread that he has >91cm wood, so he might appreciate the following suggestion if he wants to ever try something new with it. A piece of wood that size would be absolutely perfect for a monster-sized group of kuhlis to forage on, and presumably could hold even more microorganisms than fake plants, so keeping it with an army of kuhlis could make for a most amusing setup.
If there are lots, when they lounge on it and search for microorganisms, it will look like the wood has a kuhli infestation! Which I suppose it technically would! ?

Just note that this would be best with striped kuhlis since their stripes distinguish them, whereas black (like here) would be difficult to see against wood.