Post by peacockbass on Aug 9, 2009 5:59:36 GMT -5
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
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