View Full Version : african cichlid food
mhpisces01
04-17-2008, 10:51 PM
I have a 55 gallon tank with 7 small (1.5" - 2") african cichlids. At the LFS they were fed cichlid flakes, but now they seem uninterested in them. Their mouths are far too small for the floating sticks. I've tried breaking them into smaller pieces, but they refuse to eat them. I've bought various granules and floating foods, but they're not thrilled. They do eat frozen bloodworms though. I have some for my african dwarf frogs, so I thought I'd give them a try. Any suggestions on what to feed these lil guys? Please help...
ibr3ak
04-17-2008, 11:12 PM
Don't feed them bloodworms, Africans can't have a high protein diet (especially mbuna and other herbivores).
Try dipping their pellets in some garlic powder, garlic should excite their appetite.
I feed my fish new life spectrum sinking pellets and spirulina flakes.
What kind of african cichlids do you have and how long have you had them for? Also what are your water parameters?
mhpisces01
04-18-2008, 2:13 PM
Don't feed them bloodworms, Africans can't have a high protein diet (especially mbuna and other herbivores).
Try dipping their pellets in some garlic powder, garlic should excite their appetite.
I feed my fish new life spectrum sinking pellets and spirulina flakes.
What kind of african cichlids do you have and how long have you had them for? Also what are your water parameters?
I honestly don't know what species of africans they are. The LFS had them labeled as "assorted african cichlids". I'll try to check on some sites to see if I can ID them. Is it a big deal if you have africans from all 3 sources? The water parameters are fine 0 nitrates, 0 nitrites, between 50 - 120ppm hardness which is moderate on my test strips, between 120 - 180ppm alkalinity/buffer, and pH of around 7.2
ibr3ak
04-18-2008, 3:35 PM
Is it a big deal if you have africans from all 3 sources?
You mean 3 different lakes? You could get away with keeping a more timid species from 3 different lakes in 1 tank, but the tanks marked "assorted africans" in most lfs's usually contain mbuna, which are on a high to extremely aggressive side (with a few acceptions) and won't do all that great with a more "peaceful" lake tang or victoria species (or malawi peacocks).
Take a few pics of your fish and post them here.
johnlarson66
04-18-2008, 3:37 PM
Why not find out exactly what your LFS fed them and feed them the same stuff. Then if you want to change it up, you can add to it as needed.
ibr3ak
04-18-2008, 3:42 PM
From the first post
At the LFS they were fed cichlid flakes, but now they seem uninterested in them.
johnlarson66
04-18-2008, 3:43 PM
Are they the same brand of flakes???? I am guessing not all flakes are the same.
kay-bee
04-18-2008, 5:10 PM
...The water parameters are fine 0 nitrates...
How long has the tank been set up? Kind of curious as to the absence of nitrates.
mhpisces01
04-18-2008, 6:16 PM
Are they the same brand of flakes???? I am guessing not all flakes are the same.
Yes, they're the same brand of flakes. I made sure of that when we bought the fish. I didn't want to starve the lil guys.
How long has the tank been set up? Kind of curious as to the absence of nitrates.
The tank itself has been set up for 2+ years. It's always been a freshwater tank. Just recently (about a month ago) we switched it to a cichlid tank. Before the cichlids we had a kissing gourami, 2 danios, and 4 mickey mouse platys in it. I use Mardel 5 in 1 test strips for FW. The color indicator stays more of a cream than baby pink. Cream being 0 and baby pink being 20. So, it's possible that it's in the 0-20 range.
You mean 3 different lakes? You could get away with keeping a more timid species from 3 different lakes in 1 tank, but the tanks marked "assorted africans" in most lfs's usually contain mbuna, which are on a high to extremely aggressive side (with a few acceptions) and won't do all that great with a more "peaceful" lake tang or victoria species (or malawi peacocks).
Take a few pics of your fish and post them here.
Yes, I meant from 3 different lakes. Sorry for the confusion. These guys don't seem to be really aggressive. Randomly someone will chase another partially across the tank, but not very often. Everyone's fins, scales and mouths look fine. So, there isn't evidence of someone being a bully in my absence. I'll work on getting pics posted. Thanks for everyone's help! I really appreciate it!!
When did you get these cichlids? Do you have pics of all your cichlids? Ibr3ak is correct in telling you that excessive proteins brought about by meaty foods particularly bloodworms can cause digestive problems to vegetarians particularly bloat. If you must find commercial foods for them, then pick brands with protein content no more than 32%. It matters if you are not prepared to deal with bloat and other digestive issues.
I see you relied on Mardel test strips to test your water. For accurate results, try the API liquid test kit and compare the differences. It has always been common knowledge that test strips are totally unreliable.
mhpisces01
04-19-2008, 2:29 AM
When did you get these cichlids? Do you have pics of all your cichlids? Ibr3ak is correct in telling you that excessive proteins brought about by meaty foods particularly bloodworms can cause digestive problems to vegetarians particularly bloat. If you must find commercial foods for them, then pick brands with protein content no more than 32%. It matters if you are not prepared to deal with bloat and other digestive issues.
I see you relied on Mardel test strips to test your water. For accurate results, try the API liquid test kit and compare the differences. It has always been common knowledge that test strips are totally unreliable.
I've had the cichlids for about a month now. In the beginning they ate the flakes, but eventually ended up spitting them out and now they won't touch them. So, what do you suggest I feed them if commercial foods aren't ideal? I have a FW liquid test kit, but the LFS said the strips work just as well. I didn't realize test strips were such a fishie faux pas. As for pics, no I don't have any at the moment. I have a bright peachy orange one (orange zebra), a light blue one with faint vertical blue stripes (blue zebra), 2 that look like the firemouth cichlids (which aren't African at all) their top fins have the red and blue stripes on them, a small cream colored one that's starting to get horizontal grey stripes (pindani ?) and one that reminds me of a blue gill or a sunfish. I'll try to post pics tomorrow. Thanks again everyone!!
buballo
04-19-2008, 3:42 AM
I use NLS pellets. Fish love them, cant get enough.
I've had the cichlids for about a month now. In the beginning they ate the flakes, but eventually ended up spitting them out and now they won't touch them. So, what do you suggest I feed them if commercial foods aren't ideal? I have a FW liquid test kit, but the LFS said the strips work just as well. I didn't realize test strips were such a fishie faux pas. As for pics, no I don't have any at the moment. I have a bright peachy orange one (orange zebra), a light blue one with faint vertical blue stripes (blue zebra), 2 that look like the firemouth cichlids (which aren't African at all) their top fins have the red and blue stripes on them, a small cream colored one that's starting to get horizontal grey stripes (pindani ?) and one that reminds me of a blue gill or a sunfish. I'll try to post pics tomorrow. Thanks again everyone!!
I never said commercial foods are not ideal. Look at the guaranteed analysis for each brand because most foods we buy have far more proteins than what is intended for vegetarians. NLS is fine or try Omega.
jamthoyoung
04-19-2008, 2:37 PM
Post some pics. Maybe someone will be able to id them for you.