Live food incorporating

[Machine 79]

Just started incorporating earthworms into my 135 gallon with bichirs, dempseys, rainbows, red synspilum. I keep them on staple of flakes/carnivore pellets. Couple times a week I give them bloodworm. Is the nutritional value of the earthworms good enough to feed them occasionally or more frequently.
FYI..the dempseys love them and so does the 12 inch common pleco as well

 

[lifeon2]

Most things I have read say yes but to make sure they havent been in any soil with fertilizers or pesticides.

 

[duanes]

All the cichlids you mention are not strict carnivores, they are omnivores, but especially the synslium (now synonymous with melanurus) is predominantly a vegetarian, so adding a pellet high in spirulina such as AlgaeMax might provide the extra nutrients not found in a strictly carnivorous diet.
Adding a leafy green (whatever they take to) is also not a bad Idea. They need the fiber to help push things along in the longer digestive tract (longer than carnivores)
My Vieja, and related cichlid types like Cincelichthys, and Etroplus could down large leaves of romaine or entire dandelion plants very efficiently
Most Vieja spend a lot of time grazing algae and eating fallen fruit, and leaves in nature.
Below a video of Etroplus eating dandelions.

 

[Machine 79]

Yes the flake staple I feed them is high in sprulina. I was using pellets, but they got bored of them I think. I was mostly gravel vacuuming them back up. Tonight I will try and see if they will nibble on some romaine. I'd never put anything from my backyard in there. I spray enough pesticides back there to make the grass glow in the dark. I get the nightcrawlers from the bait shop. The ones that are plain, no dye in them.

 

[Machine 79]

All the cichlids you mention are not strict carnivores, they are omnivores, but especially the synslium (now synonymous with melanurus) is predominantly a vegetarian, so adding a pellet high in spirulina such as AlgaeMax might provide the extra nutrients not found in a strictly carnivorous diet.
Adding a leafy green (whatever they take to) is also not a bad Idea. They need the fiber to help push things along in the longer digestive tract (longer than carnivores)
My Vieja, and related cichlid types like Cincelichthys, and Etroplus could down large leaves of romaine or entire dandelion plants very efficiently
Most Vieja spend a lot of time grazing algae and eating fallen fruit, and leaves in nature.
Below a video of Etroplus eating dandelions.

Awesome video!

 

[duanes]

Yes, if pesticides are even in the yard next door, it can be iffy, not to mention your own yard.