Thanks guys.
The smallest 5 year old wasn't getting bullied. It was just when they do the up and down dance on the glass that I noticed he was always landing at the bottom. Food wise, they all got food but as you say the larger loaches do mop up a lot more food. I feed enough though, and have always tried to spread the food around. It's a matter of who finds it, not who's the biggest.
I have 3 very young loaches, they eat a lot more as they don't hide during lights on. Each time food hits the tank they shoot for my hands. They're are very brave. The other day I put my hand in to take out some melon left over, the baby loaches started nibbling my hands up and down, alongside the SAEs in fact...I thought I'd carry a fish out accidentally when I took my hand out
I think food is not the issue. The 2 year old loach was a 1.5 inch or so when I got him and probably no more than 2 inch when he joined the older much bigger guys already. The 5 year old is slightly shorter and slender than him. But the size difference is obvious. If I didn't know their markings that well, you'd always think the 5 year old is a younger loach, and is the one I purchased 2 years back but that small 5 year old is the only "thin" striped loach. His black stripes are very narrow so it always drew my attention. I have 5 loaches which are now 5 year old. One is signifficantly larger at 8 inches, two are odd striped, and two normal striped from which the smallest is the narrow striped loach...so very easy to distinguish who's who.
Food availability to them both was the same and the 2 year old theoretically would have been at a disadvantage size wise but over the last couple of years he's managed to grow bigger than the thin striped 5 year old, who although slowly, is still growing and is healthy, has always been.
I do not know their sex but the smallest 5 year old loach is slender where the 2 year old loach is wider in build. The largest of the 5 year olds, signifficantly wider than the rest as well, is an 8 inch loach.
The smallest 5 year old wasn't getting bullied. It was just when they do the up and down dance on the glass that I noticed he was always landing at the bottom. Food wise, they all got food but as you say the larger loaches do mop up a lot more food. I feed enough though, and have always tried to spread the food around. It's a matter of who finds it, not who's the biggest.
I have 3 very young loaches, they eat a lot more as they don't hide during lights on. Each time food hits the tank they shoot for my hands. They're are very brave. The other day I put my hand in to take out some melon left over, the baby loaches started nibbling my hands up and down, alongside the SAEs in fact...I thought I'd carry a fish out accidentally when I took my hand out
I think food is not the issue. The 2 year old loach was a 1.5 inch or so when I got him and probably no more than 2 inch when he joined the older much bigger guys already. The 5 year old is slightly shorter and slender than him. But the size difference is obvious. If I didn't know their markings that well, you'd always think the 5 year old is a younger loach, and is the one I purchased 2 years back but that small 5 year old is the only "thin" striped loach. His black stripes are very narrow so it always drew my attention. I have 5 loaches which are now 5 year old. One is signifficantly larger at 8 inches, two are odd striped, and two normal striped from which the smallest is the narrow striped loach...so very easy to distinguish who's who.
Food availability to them both was the same and the 2 year old theoretically would have been at a disadvantage size wise but over the last couple of years he's managed to grow bigger than the thin striped 5 year old, who although slowly, is still growing and is healthy, has always been.
I do not know their sex but the smallest 5 year old loach is slender where the 2 year old loach is wider in build. The largest of the 5 year olds, signifficantly wider than the rest as well, is an 8 inch loach.
