Am gettin a bit worried....i've got a hillstream loach in my tank with some goldies, everythings fine, i love him to bits and he comes out every evening, nice and active, he appears plump and healthy, but i get worried that he's not got enuff to eat!

There doesnt seem to be any algae in my tank at all for him to eat! He's often on the glass but i dont know what he's munching on 'cos it all looks totally devoid of any green stuff! There's no plants in the tank, but there is a nice big piece of bog wood (which i hear they like to munch on), and some smooth rocks.

I dont really feed him...have been assuming that there must be enough food for him in there somewhere, i give the fish peas and zucchini every now and then, but i think they eat all that before he could ever get a look in! And i occasionally drop algae wafers in the tank, but he doesnt seem to eat them...

Am i doin ok with him or should i try and get more algae in the tank? Have thought about getting one of the rocks out of the tank, putting it in a bucket with some of the tank water, and leaving it in the sun to try and grow some algae on it, then i could put it back in the tank for him to munch on...or is this bein a bit over the top? I also dont want to encourage an algae problem in my tank when its so clean and pretty at the moment

Am worrying and would like to have my mind put at rest, or tell me what i should be doing!!

As long as your Hillstream Loach is active and plump,I wouldn't be too concerned over it.Although you may not visibly see algae growing on the glass,etc.,I'm sure that there's some particles in there for him to enjoy.They will also eat any leftover veggie crumbs/wafer's etc,that happen to be laying around.If you see his ways changing,or him growing thinner-you might have to look into other ways/means. If you are truly concerned,you can always do the rock thing for him.I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

How long have you had your loach?

I found that after a few months, my hillstream loaches clued in to goldfish pellets and other food, and now when the lid opens and the food drops in, they are right there munching along with the goldfish! They also graze on algae in the tank, but they have certainly learned about food.

One thing you could try is adding a chunk of blanched zucchini. The goldfish will eat the soft centre but will leave the skin. I have seen my loaches grazing on that. I have also read that they love blanched kale, but I haven't tried that.

Thanks for the reply Devs and TouchofSKy, I've only had him about 6 months. I didnt realise they'd eat goldfish food as well...thought they were vegetarians for some reason!!! Hopefully then he's finding some of the goldies food - i give them mostly sinking pellets or soaked bloodworms, with occaisional veg stuff (peas, zucchini etc). They also eat the algae wafers i put in for my loach! He doesnt seem to like them anyway...

He seems a bit 'shy' tho! Although i see him every evening, he pretty much stays away from the other fish and doesnt stay in one place for long!


He's active and nice and plump looking, so i guess i shouldnt need to worry...?

How big is your tank? If you had the room, I would add a couple more hillstream loaches to keep him company. My guys don't spend time together, as such, but the males do chase each other and maybe just having more than one has made them much more brave. My guys come out now and feed on the bottom when the goldfish are being fed and are visible zooming around the tank all day. I have two males and a female, and I find the males more visible than the female.

I would say that if you have had him for six months and he is active and plump, then he is getting enough to eat and I wouldn't worry. I would imagine he is grazing bits of goldfish food from surfaces and also getting bits of algae.

They really are neat litle fish

They are fab fish arent they? I find him fascinating!! The tank' s quite big but already slightly overstocked, so will wait till i get another/bigger tank and may get another couple...i'd love to have more than one!

ive just ordered more hillstreams in from my LFS, i just LOVE them. i find that they will come out and just sit on the algae wafers when noone is watching *or when they think noone is* then they will scurry away when they see you. Mine dont seem to mind the goldies much. but my male goldie seems to want to harrass the hillstream now and then.

Hi - i've been trying to push his algae wafers under his piece of bog wood where there's a hidey-hole gap that he sits in that the fish cant get to, but he never seems to eat it (or maybe he just doesnt eat it all!)

If the fish can get to the wafer there's no chance! They seem to like them more than their regular food!

well i like to put three wafers in there at a time, and i spread them out over the tank, this way, the goldies seem to converge on one, and will often miss out on the other, allowing it to soften up alot. i never see my hillstream on one if it isnt rather "fluffy". I also have varied sizes of rocks in my tank, but no wood. plant and gravel, ive made the gravel so that there is a size increase the further back you go, and the plants to create a sort of "hide-out" as well as a rather lengthy airstone. which the loaches seem to greatly enjoy hanging out around.