feeding cichlids & growth rate??

[bamboofish]

I always wonder if I am feeding enough. In between feedings I see them munching away on the algea on the rocks.
I've been feeding 2-3 times a day, what they will consume in one minute. I skip a day every week or two. Everyone is healthy and there is no aggression, with all kinds of cichlids mixed together. I feed several kinds of food.
I find growth seems to be slow though. How much size should they put on in a year?
Any thoughts??

[Demasonian]

Depends on the fish. Mbuna will eat themselves into a coma if you let them while Tanganyikans can be more timid eaters, both are prone to disease if overfed (namely bloat). Mbuna are herbivores and in the wild are constantly grazing on aufwuchs (crust of algae and crustaceans found on underwater rocks) so this is natural behaviour.

As a general piece of advice, if your fish are healthy and there's no aggression, then you must be doing something right. I wouldn't mess with your current routine. You want your fish to always be a little hungry as overfeeding is probably the easiest way to accidentally kill your population. You'll know if you're under feeding if your fish start looking emaciated.

Growth rates vary as well, depending on type of fish, type of food, amount of food, quality of water and water temperature. What kind of fish do you have?

[beowulf]

I feed mine once or twice a day depending on my schedule.  They also go a weekend a month usually with no food when I go to Montreal.  As mentioned also, I try and keep clean water doing weekly water changes and they seem to grow at a very godo rate.  I have some afra fry, this male breeds like nobody's business, from about a year ago and they are now full grown and breeding themelves....going to have to sell some.

[bitterman]

The best way to get the highest growth rates are frequent water changes. Food is less important as long as they get decent food.

Bruce

[FishBuddy]

bitterman is right...  During the summer, I normally do a 50 to 60% water change on a weekly basis.  In the winter, I do this every 2 weeks...

You could tell that your fish like the water changes as they are very active soon afterwards.  Many of my fish actually spawned a day or 2 after massive W/C...

[bitterman]

For my fry tanks to get the optimum growth it demands daily water changes about an hour after I feed at night. I feed light in the morning and then feed heavy in the evening and follow up an hour or so later with a 50% water change to ensure no uneaten food is left to taint the water.

Bruce