Healthy behaviour, plus feeding?

465 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Nina_b, Jan 6, 2011

Nina_b

Discussion Starter · Jan 5, 2011

Hello all,

I would love a brief description of happy, healthy african mbuna cichlid behaviour.

Also, I have little juveniles, all about 5cm big. When have they eaten enough? They seem perpetually voracious. Are there any physical signs that will help me judge? The petshop had them a tad emaciated.

They're currently getting veggie flakes (about two-three flakes per fish, flakes being about 5mm^2), but because of their voracious behaviour my mom and dad are perpetually urging me to feed them more than I am. I have resisted thus far, but I'm doubting myself. Don't want to starve my fishies.

The food is gone in less than about 30 seconds, if that long.

+edit - I feed them twice a day, morning and evening.

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KaiserSousay

· #2 · Jan 5, 2011

I feed them twice a day, morning and evening.

Welcome to CF.....
The little buggers would eat untill they pop.
Once a day is quite enough, they will not starve, honest.
They don`t grow out of it either.
Your mob will cluster at your approach.
When larger, get used to water being splashed up as the feeding frenzy rolls on.

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Robin

· #3 · Jan 5, 2011

Hi

I feed my fish once a day and only give them as much food as they can eat in less than a minute. People often worry about them not eating enough but more trouble,(trouble: illness and death) comes from feeding them too much. They can actually go for over a month without eating.

I would love a brief description of happy, healthy african mbuna cichlid behaviour.

That would be a tank in which all fish were swimming where they wanted throughout the tank and eating at every feeding.
If you have fish that are hiding, sitting, hanging at the top and /or not showing interest in food then you can be sure that something is wrong.

Robin

my mom and dad are perpetually urging me to feed them more than I am.

Be careful to keep the fish food HIDDEN so your mom and dad don't take matters into their own hands!
P

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Nina_b

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 6, 2011

Thank you, both of you.

My little ones are happily swiming around, sounds a lot like your description of happy fish, Robin, so all seems well.

I also feel a lot better about the food situation. Ah, they're just not like any other kind of freshwater tropical fishy out there.

They also seem to be a good shape after a week now, not bulging outwards or with sunken stomachs, so all would appear to be working out really well.

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