rphox2003 said:
Hi- When I was keeping Mbunas, I would peel a cucumber and drop it into the tank every other week or so for a change of pace and to watch the feeding frenzy. Can I do the same with Trophs? TIA.
I've never tried to feed my
Tropheus cucumbers, but a really great way to get some fresh veggie roughage into their diet is to feed them large leaves of fresh Romaine lettuce. You need to tether the lettuce to something so the
Trophs can rip off bite-sized bits from the edges; I just wedge the stalk end of the lettuce between the glass cover and the edge of the tank. The
Trophs will not recognize the lettuce as food initially, but once one or two fishes try it, the others in the colony will learn fast, and thereafter you will have a feeding frenzy on your hands.
All of my
Troph colonies get one or two large leaves of Romaine lettuce, and no other food, every third day, and they completely devour the lettuce , even the hard rib. It's impressive.
I have not lost a single
Tropheus in an established colony to 'bloat' in nearly 20 years, and I believe that an important factor contributing to this success has been their diet, including lots of vegetable roughage via the Romaine lettuce. I believe that the twice-weekly 'feeding frenzy' that ensues on 'lettuce days' also provides the
Trophs with an outlet for their abundant energy, which might otherwise be channeled into aggression, as well as reinforcing the social hierarchy within the colony (the tough guys eat first). In any event, it works for me.
Good luck! :fish: