Staple Diet Requirements

[the spot]

I have four 2-3" RBP in my long 55 gallon tank and was wondering what the staples of their diet should be, currently they are eating jumbo freeze dried krill, raw shrimp(no iodine, deshelled) and beef heart. after doing some research i found that these along with pellets should be theri diet but in what amounts, how often should i feed these items or is their something that i am missing that i should be giving them?

 

[the spot]

really no ones got a clue, thanks mfk

 

[MultispeciesTamer]

i give mine hikari sinking carnivore pellets along with shrimp about 4-5 pellets each every day or every other day

 

[fobrinkle]

Sounds like you have a good plan going. I feed mine Hikari bio-gold and hikari sinking gold, the occassional feeder (convict), and some shrimp. I would leave the shell on though. It is good for cleaning their teeth.

 

[dudey]

keeping the shell on will help bring out their color a lot. Add pellets to their diet like you said and you will be good to go. You may want to start cutting out the beef heart though not as health yas other things such as shrimp, pellets, tilapia, silversides, and other white flesh fish.

I try to keep it as much of a variety as I can but also keeping pellets as their main staple. Switching every few days or so with pellets after each raw food. I will thaw out a hand full of shrimp and use them for 2-3 days. Then pellets for a few days. Then a tilipia fillet for a few days. Then pellets. etc, etc

As far as specific amounts it varies for size of the fish. I usually give my 9 2.5 - 3.5 rbps two large size shrimp in one day. 1 tilipia fillet last two days. Or a small hand full of pellets probably about 20-30 medium size pellets.

 

[dudey]

also as they get older you may want to start feeding them less often. Once mine hit sixinches it's going to be every other day. Then as they get larger every three days.

 

[Bogwoodbruce]

At that size id keep them on frozen as their main diet and substitute with some dry untill 4-5". IMO

 

[pbucch]

Cichlid Gold three times a day. Best regimen out there

 

[the spot]

thanks for the information, i'm gonna look into the pellets but for now i have a few krill left, and two sandwich bags of beef heart, and 2 sandwich bags of cut up shrimp to feed them for now.

 

[Fishermoe14]

i feed mine with a staple of hikari floating food sticks..

shrimp or beefheart once a week..