What to feed small African Cichlids

[barterking85]

i was wondering if they will eat the pellets my bigger ones eat or if i should go flake or what these are herbivores i belive

 

[DreD]

Buy smaller pellets

 

[Fishguy2727]

How big are they? Most of the ones at the shop got 3mm pellets and had no problems. If they are under 2" you will probably need 1-2mm.

 

[barterking85]

yeah they are probably 2"

 

[mfdrookie516]

I feed mine 1mm pellets (NLS cichlid formula).

 

[barterking85]

i should be able to find that at my local pet sore?

 

[Fishguy2727]

Some shops carry it, some don't. If not it is worth getting online.

I only use NLS's Thera+A formula. It has enough garlic to kill parasites.

 

[barterking85]

ok got a site for it?

 

[Marconis]

You should feed them a mixed diet. Flakes heavy in spirulina are great for Africans. It's loaded with protein.

As others have mentioned, there are mini pellets for smaller fish.

 

[Fishguy2727]

A high quality prepared food shouldn't need any supplementation. Variety is not a nutrient. NLS has proven to be an ideal food for all types of fish, including mbunas. It does not cause Malawi bloat

 

[mfdrookie516]

I agree with fishguy... I feed NLS exclusively.

 

[beepboop]

When I had cichlids I fed them a variety of flake food. Cichlids of all sizes seemed fine with that.

 

[mfdrookie516]

seeming fine and being healthy from a nutricious diet are two totally different things IMHO

 

[redfisher1139]

So.... What you are saying IYHO, is that if we don't feed our fish NLS, they have an unhealthy diet, right?

 

[mfdrookie516]

No, not saying that. But just feeding any old flake isn't going to cut it. Sure, they'll live... but healthy fish live longer, color up better, and resist disease more so than that of fish who do not receive a healthy, nutricious diet.

NLS is one of the best foods. There are, of course, other foods you can feed. I don't have any experience with Kens or some of the higher end Hikari foods, but there are definitely some other good options.

 

[barterking85]

ok i will try try nls do they have a variety of different size pellets? cause i have big small and babies

 

[Fishguy2727]

They have foods from 0.5mm (maybe smaller) all the way up to 10mm. I would use one of their Thera+A foods because they have enough garlic to kill parasites. If you are feeding multiple sizes of food feed the larger food first. This will fill up the larger fish first and keep them occupied when the smaller fish get their food.

Obviously many diets work well for fish. Some people settle for the cheapest food that doesn't outright kill their fish, others don't trust any manufactured food and make their own. And yet other aquarists go the agnostic route and simply feed a little of everything. I have used most of the foods out there and talked to people who have used almost all the others. From what I can tell very few foods come close to doing what NLS can do. I know it sounds like a lot of hype, but it really isn't. I don't work for them, have stock in them, and I am not selling it online. I recommend NLS and only NLS because it is the only thing I am willing to feed my own fish.

 

[barterking85]

ok i will try it out and all my different size cichlids have there own tank