Feeding our centrals

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
H

HerCrenVie

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 21, 2007
1,090
3
0
Singapore
What do you guys feed your large CA cichlids? I'm mainly talking about larger subadult fish, fish that are past their fast growing juvie stage and what you are feeding them as a staple. I recently read something about soybean in fish food that I found a bit alarming, because a quick look at my Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold (the one marketed as containing "beneficial living micro-organisms") ingredient list reveals soybean meal as a significant component. It's a big bag which I paid good money for and I've used less than a quarter of it, so I'm reluctant to discontinue it immediately, but what I would like to do is find out how bad soybean really is for fish and what most of you are feeding your fish and make a decision on whether to stop using Hikari. My fish are in the 6-7 inch range and devour Bio-Gold like it's potato chips (probably due to the MSG) and I suspect I will have a hard time making them eat anything else, but I will if I have to. Any input will be greatly appreciated. Cheers :)
 
For fish that size I would feed NLS large fish formula or Thera A 3mm. It's the best food on the market and if you buy a 5lb bucket off of kensfish it's only $50.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
I feed hikari gold, staple, and carnivore pellets. I also supplement my feeding with market shrimp, smelt, tilapia, and worms. They also regularly finish off packages of food from other peoples picky fish.
 
trace said:
For fish that size I would feed NLS large fish formula or Thera A 3mm. It's the best food on the market and if you buy a 5lb bucket off of kensfish it's only $50.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Click to expand...
It's a lot more expensive here in my country though. Every day I read good things about NLS but still have yet to try it myself due to prices here in Singapore.

zoohouse said:
I feed hikari gold, staple, and carnivore pellets. I also supplement my feeding with market shrimp, smelt, tilapia, and worms. They also regularly finish off packages of food from other peoples picky fish.
Click to expand...
How long have you had your cichlids on Hikari? I'd think that if soybean really does have as adverse an effect on fish as some people suggest then surely consistent feeding of food with high soybean content over a period of a few years should kill the fish or at least do visible harm. But it seems people are keeping fish fed on almost exclusively Hikari for years with no problem. This is the main issue I hope to get answered in this thread. How bad is soybean and how bad is Hikari?
 
Angelsplus.com(angelfish website) has a nice selection of food. I'm using the spirulina sticks and krill pellets right now.

I try to feed a wide range of foods - 2 types of flake, cichlid crisps, the sticks & pellets, also FD blood, black & tubifex worms. Frozen bloodworms occasionally as a treat. Frozen peas too - thawed with shells removed. Whatever I have on hand really.
 
I think most keepers of large new world cichlids should worry about feeding too much...and not more.

I try to skip feeding at least a couple of days per week. The staple food is Xtreme pellets and live red wigglers once a week or so.

Matt
 
HerCrenVie said:
It's a lot more expensive here in my country though. Every day I read good things about NLS but still have yet to try it myself due to prices here in Singapore.


How long have you had your cichlids on Hikari? I'd think that if soybean really does have as adverse an effect on fish as some people suggest then surely consistent feeding of food with high soybean content over a period of a few years should kill the fish or at least do visible harm. But it seems people are keeping fish fed on almost exclusively Hikari for years with no problem. This is the main issue I hope to get answered in this thread. How bad is soybean and how bad is Hikari?
Click to expand...

It happens more than you think. Try and think of how many cichlids you have heard of that live past the age of ten. Very few huh. And you're always hearing, " my seven year old cichlid died today for no apparent reason". My guess is more often than not they died due to poor nutrition and feeding habits. Poor diet often leads to fat deposits on the liver and around other organs which will lead to death. But as Matt said no matter what food you feed if you feed too much your fish won't remain healthy.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
Absolutely - overfeeding (excess nutrition) results in that...

Matt

trace said:
It happens more than you think. Try and think of how many cichlids you have heard of that live past the age of ten. Very few huh. And you're always hearing, " my seven year old cichlid died today for no apparent reason". My guess is more often than not they died due to poor nutrition and feeding habits. Poor diet often leads to fat deposits on the liver and around other organs which will lead to death. But as Matt said no matter what food you feed if you feed too much your fish won't remain healthy.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Click to expand...
 
You didn't say what kind of centrals you have, some are primarily vegetarian (pearsei, bocourti) some are piscavores (dovii, Petenia) many of the Vieja, Paraneetroplus types are fruit eaters in nature, and most are algae/detritus grazers in between their most preferred entree.
Any general pellet should be fine for a mixed group, but I totally agree with Matt and others who said overfeeding is the most prevalent problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom