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Like I said, I don't know much about cichlids but I know they can be very aggressive. My syno is in a temporary home with a Yellow Lab that loves to nip.

I included as an a attachment the list of fish with information on each one. Not all inofmation is there, it is all I can find so far. Most of the fish grows up to 4" as an adult, one of them grows to 6". Hope this helps out a bit.

Does anyone else have problems with their automatic feeder? I did it again, this time with the door only opened about 5% or 3 clicks. What are better for cichlids, pellets or flake? What would you all feed cichlids for a treat? What is thier ice cream?

Thanks, Gerald

PS. Thanks meegosh, for the quick reply! I love AA and enjoy visiting and VOTING, I just wish I can contribute more.
 

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I think you'll find that mostpeople don'tuse automattic feeders unless absolutely necessary, such as when you're going on holiday. If they fail, they may release far too much food destroying your water quality.

IMO your cycle hadn't finished when you bought the fish. You should have waited until Ammonia and NitrITE was at 0 and your NitrATE rose significantly. Until that happened your cycle is not done.

To keep your fish healthy, you need to ensure that you keep Ammonia and NitrITE under 0.5ppm. Perform daily water changes if necessary. Keep at it! You're definitely getting there. Patience is the key! :)

Be wary of all that guff you see at the LFS. So much of it is rubbish and not needed. Since you're new to the hobby, ask here before buying anything and you will probably end up saving a lot of dollars.
 
That answers some questions I had, the procedures I found on this site and the web do not say wait to Nitrites are 0, they say when the ammonia level can go down to 0 from 3-4ppm in 8 to 12 hours (unless I read it wrong), we are ready to go buy the fish. Oh well, live and learn.

I bought the auto feeder because I work shift work and I cannot feed the fish at the same time everyday. Is that a problem if I keep changing the feeding times for the fish?

One more question, other than pellets, what do cichlids love to eat as a treat?

Thanks, Gerald
 
Sorry for the misinformation you read, but Sharon is right. Until your ammonia and nitrItes bottom out, your cycle is not complete. While nitrIte is not as toxic as ammonia, high levels can severely affect your fish. You'll want to do as she said and perform PWCs anytime it gets above 0.5ppm.

I don't think it's a problem to feed your fish when you can. If you feed them consistently, they'll get used to it, but the truth is that fish are constantly looking for food, they'll eat it whenever they find it.
 
Cool, is there some other fish food for cichlids that is not pellets you all recomend? The pellets just sink to the bottom and I am not sure every fish is able to get to it.

Gerald
 
I don't know how you personally feel about it but I've known people to keep a small colony of ghost shrimp just so they can give their cichlids a nice little snack. I don't want to start the whole humane debate again, just thought I'd ask since you are asking about 'treats'. :)
 
I bought the auto feeder because I work shift work and I cannot feed the fish at the same time everyday. Is that a problem if I keep changing the feeding times for the fish?

I don't think its a big deal to feed your fish at different times dusing the day, Gerald... I feed mine at all different times during the day. small frequent serves of foods is recommended where possible.
 
I don't know how you personally feel about it but I've known people to keep a small colony of ghost shrimp just so they can give their cichlids a nice little snack.

Here is a stupid question, this colony of ghost shrimp, we grow this inside the fish tank or in a seperate tank? I was thinking of something I can just go to the LFS and buy outof the refrig.

Thanks,
Gerald
 
I don't think its a big deal to feed your fish at different times dusing the day, Gerald... I feed mine at all different times during the day. small frequent serves of foods is recommended where possible.


Thanks, all this info. is helping me, I am only using the auto feeder when I am going out of town.

Gerald
 
Here is a stupid question, this colony of ghost shrimp, we grow this inside the fish tank or in a seperate tank? I was thinking of something I can just go to the LFS and buy outof the refrig.

Whenever you're breeding fish or shrimp to feed to other fish, you need to keep them in a separate aquarium. Otherwise the entire population would probably get eaten all at once.

Frozen foods certainly could be another option for a treat food.
 
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