Lake Malawi Species • Letting mbuna graze their food?

[Smeagol]

I'm feeding my mbuna Northfin Veggie pellets as their daily staple. When I drop the pellets in, it's a fish-nado feeding frenzy. Very few pellets reach the bottom, and those that do are quickly picked up. So far, so good, right? But I keep coming back to the idea that mbuna are grazers in their natural habitat. Gobbling food near the surface is not their natural way of eating. Wouldn't it be better to place the pellets on the rocks somehow, and let the fish "graze" the food off the rocks? Has anyone tried this? How can it be done?

[fishndogs]

Have you tried Repashy? I haven’t, and it involves a bit of prep work, but the idea has always intrigued me. Apparently you can dip a rough-textured rock in it and let it set on the rock for grazing. Someone here must have tried it.

[SenorStrum]

I have some I bought for making medicated food. THE SMELL!

But... that sounds interesting. I may put it on my list of things to try.

[DJRansome]

Don't forget if growing actual algae for them to graze that the aufwuchs in the lake also has non-plant organisms along with the plant material.

[Smeagol]

That's interesting. I've heard of Repashy, but didn't know what it was. Anyway, I already have a substantial supply of Northfin Veggie pellets, which my fish really seem to like, so I don't think I'm going to switch foods now. But what I'd like to do is figure out some "trick" to get the pellets down onto the rocks before the fish have a chance to gobble them.

[Idech]

That's interesting. I've heard of Repashy, but didn't know what it was. Anyway, I already have a substantial supply of Northfin Veggie pellets, which my fish really seem to like, so I don't think I'm going to switch foods now. But what I'd like to do is figure out some "trick" to get the pellets down onto the rocks before the fish have a chance to gobble them.

Use a fish net and lower it near the rocks. The fish will be scared and will stay away. Then drop the food and get the net out. That might work.

[fishndogs]

That's interesting. I've heard of Repashy, but didn't know what it was. Anyway, I already have a substantial supply of Northfin Veggie pellets, which my fish really seem to like, so I don't think I'm going to switch foods now. But what I'd like to do is figure out some "trick" to get the pellets down onto the rocks before the fish have a chance to gobble them.

Put the pellets in the tip of a baster and then place them wherever you wish.