Cichlid Diet Supplementing

[Aquarium1]

Ok so I have a question about feeding my cichlids. What can I use to supplement their diet? So far I know they don't like lettuce or apple skins. What else could I try? Just wondering, cause I don't really want them to just eat pellets all the time. I'm also thinking about buying some NLS food soon; hopefully, they'll like it lol.

 

[mattrox]

I don't know about you, but my cichlids are eager to feed everytime I get near the tank. So I hardly think they are bored with the food. Every now and then I cut a zuccini or cucumber in half and jam a fork in it and throw it in the tank, for the mbuna.

Oh, and they get the occasional feed of live food if I don't get a female out of the tank in time.

 

[Aquarium1]

I'll have to try those sometime. Thanks. Mine are kinda picky. They're eager to eat pellet food but if I don't have the bag in my hand and I'm near the tank they're usually hiding, sadly.

 

[cichlideo]

A good quality fish food is all you need. NLS in my opinion is one of the best foods out there. However, there are a lot of good quality fish foods out there.

I suggest you read: Basic Fish Nutrition publish by Pablo Tepoot.

Fish are creatures of habit; they are simply not capable of getting bored. Can fish thrive on one food? The answer is yes! Fish do require a varied diet, but if that one single food is made from a wide variety of high quality raw ingredients, the varied diet that many hobbyists seek can indeed be found in one single formula.

 

[HUKIT]

I feed my mbuna only nls cichlid and I can honestly see a difference in color, increased activity and a reduction in waste in a couple of weeks time.

 

[sarahh]

hey there.. i feed mine cichlid sticks (waiting to run out to change food) but i supplement with spirulina flakes, the odd pinch of brine shrimp (too much can cause bloat i think) and stuff like zucchini and steamed cooled broccoli... the broccoli is more for sushi san, the pleco, but Joey the acei likes to "bully" the stuff

oh, and a dash of finger if i don't clean up quickly enough lol

 

[mfdrookie516]

you'll be glad once you get the nls. once i switched, my fish started growing like crazy, really coloring up, and are much more active. its amazing what a good quality food will do. were you blanching the apple peels and lettuce?

 

[BillD]

It depends on what types of cichlids you have as to what you should supplement with. Sometimes it is more about promoting natural behavior than just best quality of food.

 

[Crepe]

Try feeding them spirulina. That's always good.

 

[mfdrookie516]

seems like all the spirulina flakes i've seen have too much protein in them.. i've looked at several and the protein was 45-60%, way more than I wanna be feeding mine

 

[mattrox]

It's not necessarily protein per say that is the problem. Plant based protien also has a lot of fibre going through the intestine with it. It is animal protein that is the big concern with mbuna (eg beef heart).If it is pure spirulina then it shouldn't be a problem.

But mbuna just don't eat pure algae in the wild. So just spirulina won't be a balanced diet. Some change to zoo-plankton when it is around in abundance and when scraping algae they eat tiny insects and crustaceans that live on the algae too.

 

[BillD]

Spirulina foods should be high protein, since Spirulina itself is 60% protein. Plant based protein doesn't have any fiber. Plant based foods do. Fish need a certain mix of amino acids and their source is irrelevant.

 

[mattrox]

I am assuming that fish food made from algae/plant matter does not have the protien separated and isolated and added back in to the food. I am assuming they just grind up ingredients....... Therefore any fibre has not been removed.