What Do Clown Loaches Eat (For a healthy diet)

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Like many fish, Clown Loaches eat a varied diet to keep them healthy and happy, so what do Clown Loaches eat in the wild, and what should you be feeding them in an aquarium?

Clown Loaches are omnivores that eat various fruit and vegetables like bananas, melons, cucumbers, or lettuce. They also eat meat and proteins such as brine shrimp, tubifex worms, and frozen or freeze-dried worms. They prefer live food if they can get it and will happily eat small snails and worms.

Many beginner aquarists or people who own aquariums for aesthetic purposes will only feed their fish basic commercial foods like fish flakes and pellets that often won’t provide enough nourishment or variety for healthy digestion.

Clown Loaches love foraging for food so they can survive on the basics and whatever else they find in the tank, but considering their potential for growth and a long lifespan, it would be wise to feed them a healthy, balanced diet that they would eat in the wild.

Vegetables and plant matter (fresh and decomposing) should make up approximately 30-40% of a Clown Loaches diet, and proteins can be found in insects, crustaceans, slugs, snails, and small fish.

This article will list the main foods you can expect to find in or add to a Clown Loaches diet. The list will be quite comprehensive, but I am sure there will be other foods I have not included that Clown Loaches can be tempted with.

Don’t forget to read the Clown Loach care guide I have written, which covers everything you need to know about this adorable species.

Will Clown Loaches Eat Other Fish?

Clown Loaches don’t usually eat smaller tank mates as they are very peaceful fish, but they will eat small fish fry (babies) given the opportunity. Small shrimps are also at risk of becoming a tasty snack.

Community tanks are usually ok, but it would be wise to choose Clown Loach tank mates that are non-aggressive fish with similar placid temperaments. Although they may compete for food, a community tank with other bottom-dwelling fish will be fine.

I have put many Clowns in large community tanks and always found them to be good community fish. I have often mixed them with other fish species such as Plecos, Gourami’s, Angelfish, Red Tail Black Sharks, and smaller fish such as Neon Tetras, Harlequins, and Tiger Barbs, which all seem to be suitable tank mates.

There are many community fish that make good tank mates, and I find that adding some floating plants and submerged plants will give all fish the opportunity to get their own space when needed. Adding at least one cave will benefit a Clown Loach that needs its space.

What To Feed Clown Loach?

Because Clown loaches are not too fussy about what they eat, there is quite a variety to choose from when deciding on what to feed Clown loaches.

Many of the fresh fruits or meats you will find around your home will be desirable to a Clown loach, and experimenting with these different food types is fun.

A clown loach’s diet is important, contributing to their overall development and helping them to reach their maximum growth potential, so it’s certainly worth paying attention to.

Based on my experience keeping Clown loaches, the next section talks about what they eat in their natural habitat and what other experienced owners feed their Clown loaches.

What Vegetables Do Clown Loaches Eat?

Clown Loaches are mainly bottom feeders, so any food you give them will need to sink to the lower part of the aquarium.

Clown Loaches do like vegetables which can make up a large portion of their diet in the wild. The Clown Loach will happily eat fresh vegetables and won’t mind if they have started to go off a little.

Although not something they would eat in their natural habitat, cooked vegetables will not go to waste if given to your Clown Loach.

What Fruit Does A Clown Loach Eat?

Fruit is another staple in a Clown Loaches Diet. The natural habitat of Clown Loaches is rivers, streams, and lakes. Fruits will often find their way into them when they fall from trees and vines that overhang these watercourses.

Although not all fruits they like are part of their natural diet, Clown Loaches will often take a liking to them and will certainly not be harmed by them.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

All foods listed above must be free from chemicals and pesticides that may harm your Clown Loach or contaminate the fish tank water.

What Do Clown Loaches Eat In Live Food?

Live foods will be a good source of protein for your Clown Loach, which will help to provide them with energy and assist in normal growth.

A Clown Loach is also an excellent hunter, so you may enjoy watching them stalking their prey.

The best live foods to give a Clown Loach are:

• Worms – (White worms, Black worms, Grindal worms, Wiggler worms, Blood worms, Common garden worms)
• Small Shrimp – (Clown Loaches are often fed Baby Brine Shrimp, either live or frozen, but as they have a liking for shrimp, you will need to be aware that other shrimp, such as your favorite Red Cherry Shrimp or Ghost Shrimp may also be at risk.
• Gammarus Shrimp – (More commonly known as Scuds, are a type of shrimp. Clown Loaches love them as live food. The Scuds hide in the gravel, and Clowns love to forage for them. I have added Scuds separately, as they can also become more of a problem in an aquarium if their numbers get too big. I have written a very informative article about Scuds titled “Scuds In Aquarium (What are they and should I remove them?”)
• Small Snails – (Clown Loaches are great at keeping your tanks snail population under control. They will also eat small garden snails)
• Small Insects – (Flys, Crickets, Maggots. Try whatever you can find, and you will soon know what they like)
• Seafood – (Mollusks, Crustaceans, and small fish. The Clown loach will eat small fish and fish fry, shellfish, which they will suck from the shell. If it’s small enough, it isn’t safe.)
• Other Fish – (Clown Loach tank mates are usually pretty safe unless they are small fish fry which can be just as irresistible to most other fish as well).

I have mentioned above that Clown Loaches will eat snails. They are often sold as a solution to keep snail populations down in aquariums and will often do a great job.

What Dry And Frozen Food To Feed Clown Loaches

The easiest way to give your Clown Loach the variety they need in their diet is to buy dry or frozen food from your local aquarium or even online.

Some of the best and most common foods that aquarists will use are:

• Algae Wafers
• Worm Stock
• Freeze Dried and Frozen Krill
• Shrimp Tablets or Shrimp Pellets
• Bloodworm Pellets
• Various Other Sinking Pellets and Sinking Wafers – (many fish stores sell their own varieties and mixes of pellet and wafer)
• Tubifex Worms
• Standard Comercial Foods and Fish Flakes

There are many dry and frozen foods that you can try, some containing plant-based foods and some containing meats and seafood.

It is good to experiment to see what your Clown Loaches prefer to eat.

What Other Foods Do Clown Loaches Eat?

You will find that Clown Loaches will eat many things that you have in your kitchen. For example, seafood meat is a favorite even if it has been tinned.

Try out a few of my suggestions below if you want to give your Clown Loach a real treat.

• Tuna – (From a tin)
• Mussels – (Clown Loaches will suck them out of the shell)
• Crab Meat – (Tinned)
• Prawns
• Scallops
• Clams
• Beef Heart

Buying specially made foods can become expensive, so many aquarists will make their own mixes of seafood, fruits, and vegetables that can be frozen, dried, stored, or just served fresh.

Hopefully, this article has helped you better understand what Clown Loaches will enjoy eating and has given you the confidence to experiment with similar food types.

Remember, the lists I have provided are not exhaustive, and I am sure you can find many other foods to add.

Clown Loaches provided with a good diet will certainly be happier, so you will get the best out of them and help them meet their growth potential.

Frequently Asked Questions

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