New Fish...ID

[SoDakJeep]

So what would be a good diet for my fish as they all seem to be from the same lake. I currently feed them some flake food, chiclid pellets, some ghost shrimp, and small feeder guppies. I feed them everyday in the morning at differnt times but before noon. I also feed them at night around 9pm but I have been reading that they don't need to be fed every day and that often. Also I throw green beans in and they eat that as well. What else should I add to their diet and what if anything do you think I should change?

 

[Blue2Fyre]

Here's some pictures of some acei:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1460
Mine hate having their picture taken but they generally stay the same color. With a good diet and clean water their colors can improve a bit. My big male is a very dark purple with some hints of blue with bright yellow fins. He is really pretty

 

[mike dunagan]

Feeders are not really a great food for mbuna.

 

[SoDakJeep]

why is that bad i thought they eat both plants and meat?

 

[Blue2Fyre]

No they are mostly herbivores. Feeding too much protein aka "meat" can give them bloat which they can die from. Keeping them on a low protein diet will keep them healthier

 

[Cichlidsanders]

with ash54876

why is that bad i thought they eat both plants and meat?

Yes they are Omnivores but their diet should be mostly vegetable. Avoid foods high in protein!

I feed mine algae disks (Crushed up) and Cichlid sinking pellets skipping every other day.
I also occasionaly feed them frozen bloodworms as a treat.

 

[paulW]

The kenyi still could be a male though Mine that I thought were female turned yellow between 3-4 inches some tanke longer than others to change color...

Yep, that happened to me too.

Also, I have read that a lot of Kenyi end up males since they are hormoned as fry by some large scale breeders

What size tank to you have, OP? If that Kenyi is a male, I have a feeling he might want to take over the entire tank when he gets bigger. They are very terriorial. I had one attempt to take over about 1/3 of a 180 gallon tank. He was constantly chasing everyone else away. I'm not saying to get rid of him now, but keep an eye on things. Nice tank.

 

[paulW]

So what would be a good diet for my fish as they all seem to be from the same lake. I currently feed them some flake food, chiclid pellets, some ghost shrimp, and small feeder guppies.

This is not good. They are mbuna. They should not be given feeders.
Get some spirulina flakes/pellets. If they get too much animal protein in their diet, they will die.

 

[SoDakJeep]

so is it alright to give them some shirmp as a treat maybe once a week or every 2 weeks?

 

[SubMariner9]

Yes, once in a while, especially to Mbuna. They won't like it raw so steam the small pieces until they're chewy and then they'll eat it.

Now my Peacocks love the shrimp, but with Mbunas they are prone to bloat due to their delicate digestive systems.

New Life Spectrum is the best stuff for all of them. Great food!!!


Richard