Feeding regime of CA and SA cichlids

[Miguel]

Modest Man's thread ( as well as RD's threads ) about feeding got me wondering if I ( and a lot of us ) have it right in terms of nutrition for our fish.

Should we presume them ( almost ) all to be omnivorous?

Are Green Terrors veggies?

When we mention that a fish is a piscivore, is it different than a carnivorous fish, in the sense that the latter eats other sorts of meaty material?

What are the Parachromis?

The Amphilophus?

Viejas?

Nandopsis? Etc, etc?

Can We even grade them per genera?

 

[TMSB805]

Should we presume them ( almost ) all to be omnivorous?

I do

 

[Modest_Man]

Go to www.fishbase.org and look up the Genera you're interested in. You can read the biology of the fish, which usually includes prey items and you can click on "food items" and read what wild fish have had in their stomachs. You can also tell a lot by how their mouths are developed. Large, terminal or superior, protruding jaws indicates carnivorous/piscivorous/insectivorous, while small, inferior jaws indicate herbivorous/detritivorous. In between usually indicates omnivorous.

Here's what C. myersi from Colombia have had (large, protrusible, superior jaw)-
zoobenthos insects insects unspecified dragon fly larvae Colombia juv.%20/adults
zoobenthos insects insects unspecified flies Colombia juv.%20/adults
zoobenthos insects insects unspecified locusts Colombia juv.%20/adults
plants other plants terrestrial plants unspecified seeds Colombia juv.%20/adults
nekton finfish bony fish unspecified small fishes and fish scales Colombia juv.%20/adults

And Paraneetroplus bifasciatus (small, inferior jaw)
Feeds mainly on bottom detritus and vegetable matter but will eat most all forms of plant life from algal filaments to terrestrial plants.
plants other plants benthic algae/weeds unspecified algae (not available) juv.%20/adults
detritus detritus debris unspecified detritus (not available) juv.%20/adults
plants other plants terrestrial plants unspecified terrestrial plants (not available) juv.%20/adults

A couple reads on mouth formation and function in fishes-
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Education/Diagrams/FishMouth.html

http://www.csun.edu/~msteele/classes/Ich530/lectures/11_feeding.pdf

 

[Miguel]

Great advice Modest!

 

[Miguel]

Great info on Fishbase, in fact.