Mine are everything, cichlid pellets, veggie wafers, frozen foods and loved fresh zucchini. He also constantly grazed on the algae on the wood. Whenever I did water changes he would rasp on my arm and hand. It felt like coarse sandpaper. He would occasionally get into scraps with some of the other fish but the tank boss, my synspillum, would keep him in check. He was #2 in the tank. He was in my 150 with a 13" synspillum, Argentea, convict, Firemouth , pictus cat and Bala sharks.
Growth rate I would say was moderate. He was a couple inches when I got him and I think I had him almost 3 years.