Cichlid Foods and Diet Plans(other fish too)

[peacockbass]

When it comes to Cichlids, or any fish for that matter, Diet is very important. but with such a large species board, different cichlids eat different things and many need a wide variety of food. Now this can forum could be used for any fish i suppose, but thats in-case you do our own look into what your fish may like and so forth. Just to point, this pretty much is coming from my POV(Point of View) and only my recommendations based on what i know.
Also I'm going to update this more when i can think of a bit more to say.


Carnivore Diet
Feeder Guppies
Rosy Reds
Goldfish
Night crawlers
Brine Shrimp
Shrimp
Crayfish
Store Bough Insects(Crickets usually)
Mice(for much larger species)
Small Portions of meat(For piranhas and certain catfishes)

Herbivore Diet
Peas
Lettuce
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Signage
Dry Seaweed
Celery
Cucumber
Potato
Nuts(for the piranha family such as Pacu and Silver Dollars, and preferably shelled already)

Frozen/dead Foods[/u]
Krill
bloodworm's
brine shrimp
frozen peas
cut fish
Ground Hamburger
Frozen Vegetables




Well that there is basic stuff, and all I can think of. So with that said, ill get too instructions.
Carnivores: I suppose ill start with baby fish and what to feed them..... a fair thing to feed baby fish is brine shrimp, frozen of alive thats your choice. But be careful how you do that, cause brine shrimp is basically a cloud of food that more then likely, will not be all eaten. Baby Brine Shrimp can be feed to maturing Fry.
Next, Small Fishes. Once a inch or so long, Fish can upgrade to eating other things such as Bloodworm's, Insect larva's, and feeder Guppies. Frozen or Live is welcomed by many species, and if feed proper amounts then baby fish will grow extremely fast. Once they mature more, Rosy Reds, Goldfish, Shrimps, and other small creatures can be introduced. But a note of live food, There is a high chance of messes occurring especially with large carnivores like Oscars. Krill can also be introduced now. Insects can also be a favored treat, as well as Worms/Night crawlers. These can be caught wild, but if you choose this then watch your fish carefully since wild food can introduce unwanted problems such as disease and parasites. ALSO NOTE that some fish will beseem picky and only each night crawlers only.
Now your fish are growing, larger things can be feed to them. Shrimps, Crayfish, and Larger Goldfish can now be introduced. Krill is also a welcomed food for the largest cichlids too, and is highly recommend. but remember when feeding like this, Hygiene becomes more important and large prey items and foods often leave messy aftermaths. Once Again, Oscars are a perfect example.
Mice and other preys.... OK this isn't recommended, but some people do it. its not the best idea ever, but in case you choose to in fact do this, i recommend that you feed mice and other...things... to large carnivore fish only once every 2 months. AND just before cleaning, feeding such prey to fish will leave a immense mess and its not really fun to clean up after.

more to come...

Herbivores: well in any case, vegetables are a bit more then complicated in some cases when feeding certain species. usually hard, or for some reason a real mess to work with. I don't have anything to post about it at this time, so be patient please ;D

[jeff12399]

Be careful on the list of what you feed. The live fish not only carry diseases but are full of fat content. Not really good for the fish you are feeding. Night crawlers are good. Mealworms I stay away from because of the harder shell they have. Brine shrimp is used as a treat in my groups. Shrimp and crayfish live should only be fed if the fish is very large. Also expensive. Crickets from a pet shop are not a good idea because they are usually gut loaded with stuff some fish can't handle. Wild caught crickets might be a better choice. Mice also have way to much fat in them. Plus would make a big mess in your tank. the rest of the list looks really good. Just remember to take out uneaten food after a couple of hours. i will try to post a recipe for homemade fish food that will cover all the food groups for all cichlids later today.

Jeff

[peacockbass]

Well the idea for some of these foods like Mice, are like a special treat to extremly large fish like Oscars and Pike Cichlids. not a daily food, just as maybe every 2 months maybe? Well as i said earlier in the post, maybe admins will improve my list.

[jeff12399]

Really you wanted peoples opinions on your fish list but if you think the admins are the only ones that should put any input into this I can just leave it alone. Doesn't make me much of a moderator if i don't let you know what i have learned or seen over the last 42 1/2 years of raising cichlids. No i thought about saying a couple more things but I would just be playing someone elses game. Thanks for sharing.

[peacockbass]

I did not mean it like that. I know your a moderator, and thats what I wanted you to do, tell me what should be there and stuff... great now i feel like a Moron that just offended everyone...

[jeff12399]

Thats all right .No hard feelings. Sometimes We all word things wrong, without even realizing it. If you need advice on things on this forum just remember that all the people can help you. Thats what makes this forum so great. We all know something about fish. Most of the time it is all our own opinion and it doesn't have to be taken any certain way. You still have the right to do things your way. So keep posting and have fun. That's the big thing.

Jeff

[peacockbass]

Hehe Thanks. Although i have to ask about the Mice thing... I though once in a while wouldent hurt.

[jeff12399]

Mice are very high in fat content and make a mess of your tank. Just once in the tank and you will be syphoning the substate for weeks. i had piranhas and I fed mice one thime the water had to be cleaned and cleaned and cleaned some more. Veggies are good for some cichlids but most seem to ignore them. Plecos like them. Truthfully in my opinion there are just to many varieties of fish foods out there to choose from. I will post the recipe that I have for all cichlids. It does include alot of the stuff on your list.

[peacockbass]

Oh, wow thanks jeff i Appreciate that. But the Mice thing... I know piranhas would make a mess, but a oscar swallowing one? Didnt think it would make any mess at all since it was in one peace.

[jeff12399]

Oscars will make a big mess to. piranhas cut there prey in half most of the time. Fish, Mice, Insects etc. Oscars get something big in their mouths and taste the blood they bite down and shake and rip there food apart. I have seen both. It really is a mess. Keep going with the list. Lets try to break it down into a list of good and bad foods for cichlids. Mike does have some stuff posted on here about cichlid diets just got to find it again. I will have more time this weekend.

Jeff