My cichlid has gone mad!

[stoopid]

I have one of these (http://www.fishlinkcentral.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=906&password=&sort=7&thecat=509).

He's tearing his live food apart (guppy feeders) and not eating all of it (seems to only like the tails :rolleyes: ). I know he's probably eating a few whole ones (have had him for 2 weeks and he's still alive), but he's mawling the guppies versus eating them! 1-3 guppies per day need to be fished out.

I'm still a newb to the whole fish thing, but I know this isn't 'right' behavior for a semi-aggressive rock dweller.

[Faramir]

Don't feed him guppies then

These fish are omnivores and will eat most things - frozen foods, good quality flake. No need to have him torturing guppies.

[stoopid]

Originally posted by Faramir
Don't feed him guppies then

These fish are omnivores and will eat most things - frozen foods, good quality flake. No need to have him torturing guppies.

I bought some pellet food for him (will try it after all the guppies are slaughtered), but I read that these particular fish LOVED live food, particularly small fish...

[ChilDawg]

That doesn't mean that they need to be fed live foods all the time...getting them to eat prepared dry foods would be more cost-effective and just as nutritious (if not more so) in the long run.

[stoopid]

Originally posted by ChilDawg
That doesn't mean that they need to be fed live foods all the time...getting them to eat prepared dry foods would be more cost-effective and just as nutritious (if not more so) in the long run.

Good point, I don't feed my cat canned food all the time either... quality dry food is better for the teeth and usually a lot less fattening.

[mogurnda]

Um, if I'm not mistaken, those are Altolamp. compressiceps, which are predators, not omnivores. If they'll take non-living foods, great, but fish is what they eat.

[ChilDawg]

I keep finding that they are omnivores and will rarely take fish in an aquarium environment, but get really upset with fast-moving fishes.

[stoopid]

Originally posted by mogurnda
Um, if I'm not mistaken, those are Altolamp. compressiceps, which are predators, not omnivores. If they'll take non-living foods, great, but fish is what they eat.

The shop owner did say that 'starving' him for a few days usually coaxes the fish into eating pellet foods (assuming they don't take a liking to it right away).

[Faramir]

I read that they eat invertebrates in the wild. Occasionally take small fish. They are not essentially piscivores however.

[stoopid]

Originally posted by Faramir
I read that they eat invertebrates in the wild. Occasionally take small fish. They are not essentially piscivores however.

Okay, here's the update -- ironically I came home from worjk yesterday to find a bunch (I mean, like 4-5) guppies "gone". Nothing floating in tank, so I have to assume he ate them. Woke up this morning, and three more were "gone". I saw him chase a few yesterday, I think he's acquired the taste :D. So, I don't know why he was 'acting out', but it seems to have stopped, and the feeding frenzy begins!

[Harry Tolen]

If you are going to feed your fish live guppies on a long-term basis, get a separate tank (29 gallons or so), buy some common guppies, and breed 'em yourself. Otherwise, you are just playing Russian roulette, waiting for the time when the feeders you bring home have some nasty disease or parasite, and your fish catches it while eating them.

Also, feeders are not particularly nutritious. Even in the wild, piscivorous fish generally supplement their diet with other items (shrimp, plants, etc.). So either feed your feeders with a high quality flake food just before adding them to the "tank of doom", or add some frozen bloodworms and plankton to the feeding regimen periodically.

[dbcb314]

How big is your tank? I was thinking of getting one of those.

[julesK]

Hey guy , it sounds like you`re the one that really wants him to eat live food . I`ve been keeping them for around 4 years and I
haven`t heard that they prefer live foods. They are notorious fry
predators , that`s one reason for their compressed body shape.
But mine has done great on a almost all pellet diet. Every so often I may give them some brine shrimp or blood worms as a
treat. They have taken to pellets so well , I know it is definately
more economical.
I`m on my second batch of fry from these fish, so if it ain`t
broke don`t fix it.

Keith

[ChilDawg]

Good call, JulesK...the Alt. Lamp. doesn't need live food, so why not cut that back to a treat offering? It's not like his going after guppies will continue if he is well-fed, and the entertainment value of attacking live foods really isn't a good reason to have a fish. (You have to starve piranhas to get that nasty behaviour for which they are famed.)