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Aquarist Forums => Freshwater General Discussions => Cichlids => Topic started by: james on January 30, 2004, 09:22:48 PM

Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: james on January 30, 2004, 09:22:48 PM
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
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: PDP on January 30, 2004, 09:28:21 PM
variety is the spice of life even for fish man switch it up =)
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: 328iGuy on January 30, 2004, 11:09:29 PM
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.
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: ambushman2j on January 31, 2004, 10:19:37 AM
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
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: gvv on January 31, 2004, 11:47:50 AM
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...
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: 328iGuy on January 31, 2004, 12:12:10 PM
Another good treat they love is peel some zicchini and stick it in the tank, watch them feast!
Title: food
Post by: james on January 31, 2004, 09:16:28 PM
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.
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: artw on February 01, 2004, 01:49:30 PM
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.,
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: artw on February 01, 2004, 01:51:05 PM
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.
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: ambushman2j on February 02, 2004, 06:43:05 PM
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.
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: gvv on February 04, 2004, 04:32:35 PM
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
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: ambushman2j on February 04, 2004, 09:19:23 PM
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
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: artw on February 05, 2004, 09:35:10 AM
You think what the fish eats in it's natural habitat is someone's opinion?
Hmm.
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: ambushman2j on February 05, 2004, 10:52:45 PM
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
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: artw on February 06, 2004, 09:33:22 AM
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.
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: ambushman2j on February 07, 2004, 02:31:52 PM
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.
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: artw on February 09, 2004, 10:47:53 AM
Right - because Aulonocara are primarily meat eaters /piscivoures in the wild :D
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: ambushman2j on February 09, 2004, 07:30:35 PM
well, that's true..does it matter that my Salousi are G1?
Title: African Cichlid food
Post by: PDP on February 11, 2004, 01:23:28 PM
easy you too!!!!

here have a glow fish each!

i know there arts favorite