[Sick4Cichlids75]

Im not quite sure if its even in the right place. However; i have a ton of questions and would really enjoy everyones input. I've owned fish aquariums (freshwater) from a very young age maybe 10 till now (21). I've taken a particular interest to Cichlids due to their color amazing skill, entertaining and omnipotent behavior. I can sit and type away but i wont do that lol. My question what to feed and how to feed a cichlid properly wether it be flakes vs pelllet this brand over this one brine shrimp this way spirulina that way. Point of the mater is i would want to extend my cichlids lives as long as possible. this is a hobby and i take this with enjoyment also caring for cichlids the proper way. Im currently setting up a 80 gallon aquarium. PLEASE, help with any information it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks :thumb:

 

[AZcichlidfreak]

First, welcome to Cichlid-Forum! :dancing:
I (along with many others on here) feed NLS New Life Spectrum to all of my cichlids along with a spirulina flake for my fry and juveniles. There are a few other quality foods out there but I personally don't have any experience with them. I'm sure others will chime in.
Good Luck and again Welcome. :thumb:

 

[Flippercon]

What do you plan on keeping. Diets vary for cichlids.

 

[prov356]

Welcome to the forum. :thumb:

Just find a good quality flake or pellet. I use NLS, but there are others out there. I feed it to all my fish and they do well on it. IME mixiing it up or going for variety isn't necessary any more.

 

[MONEYCYCLE]

New life spectrum. Tried and proven throughout the hobby and top breeders.

 

[PfunMo]

I suggest using a varied diet over time. What one brand may lack, another a month later will provide. Looking at the breakdown of what foods contain shows they all use pretty much the same thing. Fish food is not the main constaint on having healthy happy fish. You may find that many more cichlids enjoy algae tabs more than expected. I use all brands and throw some additional algae tabs but otherwise it is not a problem.

 

[Aedes]

here's a good website that goes through the different cichlids first by region, then species and lists important information and diet.
http://www.allcichlids.com/

know what fish you have and adjust diet accordingly. no 2 people will likely agree anyway.
I've read and practiced even giving peas occasionally (frozen, thawed in a bit of tank water with skin taken off and mushed - they seem to like them as a treat once a week)

generally though I feed my mostly vegetarian Mbuna veggie pellets and by veggie I mean less than 40% fish protein - once a day

 

[des]

I'm using New Life Spectrum both flakes and pellets. From my observation, my fish will eat the pellets faster and seem to enjoy it more than flakes. The pellets never have time to sink to the bottom which shows how much they like it or perhaps I'm not feeding them enough. :lol: They all enjoy the flakes especially the smaller fish.

 

[Sick4Cichlids75]

WoW! LOL well thanks for the welcome its cool to actualy talk to people that have knowledge, and take interest in explaining how things go together. As of now i am feeding my fish (cichlids) omega one natural protein formula. It seems to be holding up quite well, the fish really enjoy it as they come to the top and never let it drop pass 4 inches of the tank lid. this has been a great help and will really consider using NLS. Also when using a weekly dietary supplement such as brine shrimp, krill, etc. I will be posting a wide variety of post with tons of questions and taking notes as well... thanks a lot its great help