Ideal diet for s. leucasticta
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At first,...I don't have experience with Satanoperca but still I feel to respond to your post.
In nature eartheaters feed on stuff found in the substrate. This can be algea, water insects, shrimp, small fish, plant mater and so on. In my opinion this should be part of their diet in our tanks as well. So I would recommend to feed good qualety cichlid pellets (NLS for example), algea wafers (spirulina) and/or zucchini but also some frozen or live foods like krill, artemis, chopped mussels or cockles. You could use the cichlid pellets as basic food and feed adittional the vegetable/algea foods and 2 to 3 times a week frozen/live foods.
Main reason for "hole in head" (and most other illnesses) are stress, poor qualety foods (mostly lack on vegetable matter = vitamins) and bad water qualety or a combination of mentioned reasons.
In nature eartheaters feed on stuff found in the substrate. This can be algea, water insects, shrimp, small fish, plant mater and so on. In my opinion this should be part of their diet in our tanks as well. So I would recommend to feed good qualety cichlid pellets (NLS for example), algea wafers (spirulina) and/or zucchini but also some frozen or live foods like krill, artemis, chopped mussels or cockles. You could use the cichlid pellets as basic food and feed adittional the vegetable/algea foods and 2 to 3 times a week frozen/live foods.
Main reason for "hole in head" (and most other illnesses) are stress, poor qualety foods (mostly lack on vegetable matter = vitamins) and bad water qualety or a combination of mentioned reasons.
yes that should have been "mostly"cichlid gold [hikari], they do get algae wafers too, and some frozen foods.
I've got the stress and water quality covered, so checking out the diet.
My concern is that since s. leucasticta are less carnivorous than other large cichlids the cichlid pellets are probably too protein rich for them. None of the fish have shown any interest in veggies. I will try some more variety through. The shellfish is a good suggestion too, though I think the satanoperca might be too slow to get a look in on something that tasty!
My plan was to mix the cichlid pellets with algae disks, stick the whole lot in the morter and pestle and break it down a bit.
Would you recommend NLS over Hikari? Don't think I've seen NLS in shops here, though obviously I could order it.
Thanks for your reply dutchdude. I seem to recall you keep eartheaters? Ah and many bolivians.
I've got the stress and water quality covered, so checking out the diet.
My concern is that since s. leucasticta are less carnivorous than other large cichlids the cichlid pellets are probably too protein rich for them. None of the fish have shown any interest in veggies. I will try some more variety through. The shellfish is a good suggestion too, though I think the satanoperca might be too slow to get a look in on something that tasty!
My plan was to mix the cichlid pellets with algae disks, stick the whole lot in the morter and pestle and break it down a bit.
Would you recommend NLS over Hikari? Don't think I've seen NLS in shops here, though obviously I could order it.
Thanks for your reply dutchdude. I seem to recall you keep eartheaters? Ah and many bolivians.
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The brand isn't important in this case becouse both are good qualety foods. I feed my eartheaters (till recent Brasiliensis Bahia Red and present Guianacara) as base tetra wafer mix witch contains algae wafers and meat wafers (normally food for pleco's and corydoras). They love both of them. Most eartheaters also love blanched zucchini (courgette). This contains a lot of vitamins. I take a slice, blanch it (only 2 minutes in boiling water) and cut it in small pieces they can easily swallow. The first couple of times they don't feed much on it but once they are used to the taste they love it. If Satanoperce realy can't handle protein rich foods you should not be feeding krill, mussels and cockles becouse they do have a large amount of proteins. Artemis and white mosquito midgets would be a better choice imo. I expect that Hickari discus pellets also be good food for the Satanoperca. It contains a lot of additional vitamins,....thats why it is so smelly :wink:Would you recommend NLS over Hikari? Don't think I've seen NLS in shops here, though obviously I could order it.
What is the reason for that? They can handle the small disc's easley.My plan was to mix the cichlid pellets with algae disks, stick the whole lot in the morter and pestle and break it down a bit.
Because you don't have had much response so far, and I don't have experience with Satanoperca, I suggest to put this treat also on CRC http://www.cichlidae.info/forum/index.php Lots of experts over there but it can take quit a while before they reply.
I think perhaps I have only the larger discs. Also I like to break up the food so its easier to sift and spreads around the tank more. Reduces squabbles at meal times.
I'll try blanching the zucchini. I put lots in the tank for the bristlenose and the satanapercha have never shown any interest but they couldn't eat it raw. It never occured to me that they would like it.
Thankyou for your responses, I will look at the other site
I'll try blanching the zucchini. I put lots in the tank for the bristlenose and the satanapercha have never shown any interest but they couldn't eat it raw. It never occured to me that they would like it.
Thankyou for your responses, I will look at the other site
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Aah OK, sounds reasonable! They can't handle the large size discs thats for sure.I think perhaps I have only the larger discs. Also I like to break up the food so its easier to sift and spreads around the tank more. Reduces squabbles at meal times.
I'm convinced they will feed on the zucchini and this contains a lot of vitamins. Pure spirulina is also a good high qualety vitamin rich vegetable (algea) food.
Good luck on the other board and I hope you will get more responses over there to a very important question.
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