African Cichlid food

[james]

Seems to be a lot of AF lovers in the club
What food do you use? or what do you feel or think is the best food around for Africans . I would appreciate some feedback . I am using a breeders bulk food that I get from my nephew in Toronto ( Spiralina base) but have been just trying some of the Omega food.

James

[PDP]

variety is the spice of life even for fish man switch it up =)

[328iGuy]

Hey

Well I use a lot of different foods.  I recommend mixing it up between pellets, flakes and frozen.

I currently am feeding HBH Cichlid Attack Pellets, BIO-Blend Large Cichlid Pellets, Tetra PRO Flakes, Spirulina Sticks, Frozen Krill and Frozen Bloodworms.  The frozen foods they get one or the other once a week, alternating.  The others I mix up between each feeding and feed twice a day during the week, 3 times generally on the weekends.

[ambushman2j]

I use Sally's frozen brine shrimp, Hikari cichlid excel pellets, nutrifin max colour enhancing flake, nutrifin max algae tablets, nutrifin max spirulina sticks, nutrifin cichlid flakes, nutrifin max micro pellets, nutrifin growth food, tetra colorbits, nutrifin max spirulina algae flake food, hikari cichlid staple mini pellets and nutrifin max cichlid pellets

[gvv]

Agree with 328iGuy, but also adding meat (chiken and beef), fresh vegetables:  lettuce, cress, etc.

The problem is you should better provide variety of food and don't feed much, as Africans can become obese...

[328iGuy]

Another good treat they love is peel some zicchini and stick it in the tank, watch them feast!

[james]

Hi
Interesting discussion. I've used most of the food mentioned. Though I would not recommend you feed African Cichlids any mamual protein (ie beef and chicken). This may cause Bloat in a lot of Africans.

[artw]

I agree with James however I have never seen it happen.
I feed from highest frequency to lowest - Hikari Baby Staple pellets,  Hikari Baby Cichlid Gold pellets, Ordinary Flake Food (most recently nutrafin max colour enhancing, but prefer Omega veggie and cichlid flakes)  Brineshrimp,   Baby Brineshrimp for fry, Algae wafers, shrimp pellets.
Fry get various above crushed.

I used to feed colorbits and larger pellets but didn't have much luck.  I feed vegetables once in a blue moon.,

[artw]

James if you are interested,  IF I go to Guelph next week I can get you a bunch of OMEGA flakes (you name the kind)  bulk.   1 pound is $20 IIRC,  and 5 pounds is a bit higher.  check on the crlca website but it is currently down.

[ambushman2j]

I have heard a few customers complain to me about veggies corrupting their tanks, so I don't bother with it, seems like a lot of work and if there's any chance it might upset the balance in my tank I say forget it.

[gvv]

I found an article about difference between mbuna and haps on the cichlid forum site. You may find that high-protein food should not be used with mbuna, while it is normal with haps...

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/haps_vs_mbuna.php

[ambushman2j]

ehh I find that's all opinion, use what works for you.  in 1 1/2 years of keeping mbuna I have never had a single one get bloat, as long as everything is working out for me then I will continue to feed a multitude of different foods

[artw]

You think what the fish eats in it's natural habitat is someone's opinion?
Hmm.

[ambushman2j]

am I wrong in feeding what I feed when I have not had a single case of malawi bloat?  I do not see how I could possibly be wrong

[artw]

Try that with wild fish dude.
You can't go around saying stuff like that when it's just not true with certain fish.  for example if I fed nothing but brineshrimp and crap like that to my wild mbuna they would be dead in a week!

sure you can probably feed anything you want to the fish you get in petstores.  because they are so far removed from wild stock it isn't funny.

[ambushman2j]

First of all I never said I feed 100% brine shrimp I said I feed about 10+ different foods, one of them being brine shrimp and as a matter of fact I have actually fed them brine shrimp twice since I moved to barrhaven.   Most of the time I feed Spirulina balls (I got from you) or Nutrifin max spirulina sticks and colour enhancing flake

and further to that fact, as you recall I Did have a wild fish I bought from you and at that time was feeding a heavier brine shrimp diet and he was just fine.

[artw]

Right - because Aulonocara are primarily meat eaters /piscivoures in the wild

[ambushman2j]

well, that's true..does it matter that my Salousi are G1?

[PDP]

easy you too!!!!

here have a glow fish each!

i know there arts favorite