How to feed Hillstream Loach?

[minyip]

Hi, I got a Hillstream Loach about a week ago and I have no way to tell if he's eating or not. I unfortunately cleaned my tank not long before getting him so the algae in there is limited. I tried giving algae wafers but the tetras and danios steal it before he has a chance to get any. I also tried putting zucchini in, but I never saw him touch it and he seemed to stay where he already was in the tank for the 24 hours it was in there.
Today I put some daphnia in, but he stayed on the glass and didn't appear to be trying to get any. Is he supposed to swim after it or would he just gobble the pieces that float in front of him on the glass? How do I tell if he's getting any?

I'm just worried that he's not getting enough food.
Any suggestions?

 

[Colin_T]

They normally take food off the bottom as well as grazing on the glass, rocks and ornaments. Most don't take dry food but some do.

If you don't have any algae in the tank, increase the lighting time and encourage it to grow. You can have lights on for up to a maximum of 16 hours a day but fish and plants need at least 8 hours of complete darkness to rest.

You can also put some smooth rocks/ ornaments in a bucket of water outside in the sun. Let algae grow on them and then put one of the rocks in the tank. Let the fish graze on it for a week and then swap it for one of the other rocks in the bucket. If you add some plant fertiliser to the bucket of water, it will encourage the algae to grow faster.

If you see the fish on the front glass, look at its belly. If it has a sunken belly, it is starving.