How to tell if Cichlids are hungry?

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

Hey guys, how can you tell if your cichlid is hungry? I feel as though everytime I approach them they are hungry but I know thats just them being happy swimming up and down.. but how often do u guys feed your cichlids? Thanks,,

 

[kay-bee19]

They're probably wired to always be hungry (in the wild there's no telling when their next meal will be so they'll instinctively take advantage of food whenever it is present).

They're also quick to associate the person who feeds them with food. So your mere presence will illicit a feeding response from them.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I feed my angels every other day. I feed my apisto fry daily. When I had mbuna, I fed them once every 3 days, as I do most of my fish. My mbuna would always come up to the front of the tank when I'd walk by.... but never anyone else. They knew I was the one that fed them.

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

so if you had cichlids how often would u feed them. everyday?

 

[mfdrookie516]

It really just depends on the fish. Like I said, my angels get fed every other day. My apisto fry get fed daily. If I still had my mbuna, they would be fed once every 3 days. Are you wanting feeding info on specific fish?

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

ah ok, yea, more towards african and south american cichlids

 

[toddnbecka]

I feed all my fish once daily.

 

[Lady_Alia]

I feed small amounts twice daily to my mbuna and frontosas.

 

[TankBoss]

I follow a rule I read somewhere that you should feed 2 to 3 times daily, as much as they can eat in 2 minutes, without leaving food on the floor of the tank. My mbunas and Tangs are thriving. I even have a pair of Neolamprologus Leleupi that just had a fry.

Also... I just ran out of nls color enhancing formula for cichlids and began using a big can of flake....the difference is night and day. Definitely going back to nls when this crap is gone.

 

[Lady_Alia]

I follow a rule I read somewhere that you should feed 2 to 3 times daily, as much as they can eat in 2 minutes, without leaving food on the floor of the tank. My mbunas and Tangs are thriving. I even have a pair of Neolamprologus Leleupi that just had a fry.

Also... I just ran out of nls color enhancing formula for cichlids and began using a big can of flake....the difference is night and day. Definitely going back to nls when this crap is gone.

What's the difference??

I watched a video by a cichlid expert, and he said that though the general rule is 2 minutes, with cichlids it's 30 seconds. He said in 30 seconds the water should be crystal clear!

 

[TankBoss]

What's the difference??

I watched a video by a cichlid expert, and he said that though the general rule is 2 minutes, with cichlids it's 30 seconds. He said in 30 seconds the water should be crystal clear!

That may be true although, I have never heard of such a short feeding.

The difference between nls and other fish foods I have used? COLOR! Seriously...my fish all took on awesome, vibrant color after I used nls for a while. Now that I have run out and began using tetra cichlid flake (I had left over), the fishes color has very noticeably dulled.

 

[Lady_Alia]

Try this link

 

[Meave]

I think the rule for Mbuna's is 3-4 times a day at 30 sec per shot, that would equal the 2 min may refer to. That's what I've been doing and my water is clear and have had no problems, but then again I've only had my fish for a couple of weeks.

 

[LyndaB]

Meave, that's interesting. What makes that species so different that they have to eat that often? I've never heard that about them.

Hey guys, how can you tell if your cichlid is hungry? I feel as though everytime I approach them they are hungry but I know thats just them being happy swimming up and down.. but how often do u guys feed your cichlids? Thanks,,

Fish are like dogs. They always act like they haven't been fed in weeks and will completely pig out on any food you give them.

Don't fall prey to those beggers, though. Overfeeding can lead to lots of misery, both for the health of your fish and the health of your tank as a whole.

I feed my adult fish every 2-3 days.

 

[Meave]

Meave, that's interesting. What makes that species so different that they have to eat that often? I've never heard that about them.



Fish are like dogs. They always act like they haven't been fed in weeks and will completely pig out on any food you give them.

Don't fall prey to those beggers, though. Overfeeding can lead to lots of misery, both for the health of your fish and the health of your tank as a whole.

I feed my adult fish every 2-3 days.

Not sure but i got the advice from here: Link

 

[Breezyrae]

We feed our Oscar, EBJD and Texas twice daily. But we also do water changes every week. I can't help not to throw a pellet or two in when they start begging for food. IMO it helps keep aggression down

 

[TankBoss]

Meave, that's interesting. What makes that species so different that they have to eat that often? I've never heard that about them.

Fish are like dogs. They always act like they haven't been fed in weeks and will completely pig out on any food you give them.

Don't fall prey to those beggers, though. Overfeeding can lead to lots of misery, both for the health of your fish and the health of your tank as a whole.

I feed my adult fish every 2-3 days.

Like I said...been feeding twice a day for a long time and, not only have my fish had no health issues, but they are beautiful and reproducing. My egg layers! I think feeding every 2 or 3 days seems a bit extreme for an animal that can eat algae, any time it wants to, in the wild.

 

[Ausfish]

I feed them once a day, once a week they get life or frozen food and also once a week they fast. They're happy since 2 years now!

 

[Lady_Alia]

Like I said...been feeding twice a day for a long time and, not only have my fish had no health issues, but they are beautiful and reproducing. My egg layers! I think feeding every 2 or 3 days seems a bit extreme for an animal that can eat algae, any time it wants to, in the wild.

I gotta agree, 2-3 days seems extreme to me as well. I feed 2x daily and my water is great and my fish are happy and breeding like crazy!

But after all these posts I guess you gotta feed on the schedule that works for you and your tank.

There's one thing we all agree upon, DON'T OVER FEED!!

 

[Fishkeeper26]

2-3 isn't really extreme, the amount of food fish get from being fed would definitely be more than they get in a natural habitat. They opportunistic feeders so theyll eat when there's a chance, but they can certainly go short periods of times without food.