best food for cichlids?

[fishyladdy]

so there are so many different types of food out there and ive tried many different kinds but im wondering what are the best things to feed my african cichlids? i like to give them a good variety of food some of the stuff i feed mine are apples, zucchini, earth worms (caught outside on rainy days) ,
blood worms, brine shrimp, cichlid pellets and cichlid flakes.
is what i feeding them good? is there stuff i should feed them different?
any input is great
thanks everyone!
fishyladdy

 

[DMD123]

The great food debate begins.....

Some say you should feed (***) exclusively and make you think fish would just drop dead if they are not fed this product even though they seem to thrive in nature. Others believe variety is the best way to ensure your fish are healthy. I am a believer in variety. I do think that a high quality pellet should be the basis of their diet with frozen foods and other things added as treats in moderation.

(*=N, *=L, *=S) I use this food but not exclusively, never have seen the miraculous results of an exclusive diet. Color has always been the same. I have excellent color, health and growth with my NLS, Dainichi, Hikari, Omega One mix.

 

[InfamousRedlineZ]

I normally use NLS, Hikari and Omega pallet (all african cichlid formula). I rotate the food every other day. NLS and Hikari is my favorite. They bring out the color of my 2-3" at such a young age. My fusco normally doesn't color up until about 5-6" but it colored up at 3-4". Thats IMO. I wouldnt feed them worms or anything that has high protein because cichlids are known to get bloat from high proteins.

 

[DMD123]

I know many African species can suffer from bloat, but some are omnivores that would benefit from small amounts of protein in their diet.... It depends on the type of fish doesn't it?

I have a CA cichlid that is known more as a vegetarian and even it will get an occasional earthworm treat. But I dont feed these treats often.

 

[InfamousRedlineZ]

Yeah its just really depend on the type of fish. I have had bad experience with high protein for aficans. So I try to avoid that as much as possible.

 

[Cory]

What's the best food to feed? The answer is water changes. Virtually everything becomes equal with more water changes.

Also more important that the type of food is how often you feed and small portions. Those two will do more than the type of food.

 

[Spyral]

NLS and frozen blood worms. That's what I use. Don't know if it's the best, but I've never had an issue with fish not eating it and I am a Frontosa guy, those bastards are finicky!

 

[iandraco]

i am a big fan of NLS. xtreme is great stuff too.

 

[Addicted2CAs]

For foods with the best ingredient lists, Repashy and NLS hands down. I'm with cory on this one, water changes together with a quality food is win.

 

[aaronfeeney]

VARIETY, I feed a mix of several brands, I like variety in my diet , so I guess fish might get tired of ther same old thing everyday, too.

 

[CrazedAce]

I feed a mix of kensfish.com products. Occasionally my Africans will also get some of the "derpy" fish from my growouts, which seems to help them want to spawn. They've had everything from guppies to convicts, and anything in between. I only feed my own stock though because I know the fish aren't sick. And never put too many small fish in at once.

Other than that, all of my cichlids seem to eat whatever I put in the tank and are happy with the variety. I literally have just about every brand fish food container in my house.

 

[Madness]

I am ordering a new brand today that I have just come associated with, it is called Southern Delight.
http://www.southerndelight.net/

Otherwise it is a combination of NLS, Hikari, Omega1, Xtreame, Dianichi, a small selection of Kens (he has a lot of fillers in his food) freeze dried Superba Krill & Mysis shrimp, and my own home made concoction.

 

[Spyral]

I've boiled whole shrimp in garlic just for my Fronts..lol

 

[DMD123]

That Southern Delight sounds interesting. Let us know if it turns out to be any good. What kind of price is the product compared to something like NLS?

 

[Madness]

NLS is about $1.50/oz at the 5.3oz size and $1.33/oz at the 10oz size. Southern delight on its Cichlid pellets is $1.11/oz and on its specialty formulas (color, growth etc) is $1.33/oz.

So fairly comparable, and not more expensive just a tad cheaper actually.

 

[fishman09]

Southern delight looks to have some really great stuff going for them and is rising quickly in the hobby which is awesome.

My staple in the fish room is now NorthFin foods and exclusively NorthFin. I finally found a food that meets every aspect of what I've been looking for in a food. Simple as that.

 

[DMD123]

The price is good on that stuff. I would be interested in trying some once I put a dent in the stuff I have. I really want to try NorthFin also. http://www.canadian-aquatic-feed.com/

 

[lloyd378]

This might be a slight digression to this topic, but as I walked outside tonight to lock my cars, I noticed a lot slugs crawling around..... Has anyone ever tried to feeding them to cichlids? Is their any nutritional value to them? Yes, I'm aware of google, but I just thought it might be a fun topic to explore

 

[DMD123]

Ive never thought of doing it because they are so slimy. I know someone who fed them to his red ear slider turtle. Said the turtle loved them. There are some snails that are said to help prepare fish to breed.

 

[Anonymous]

Got a lot of those here in maple valley backyard. Im wondering now also. Google.