# Fed my cichlids feeder guppies... good? bad?



## EBurna

I'm a newbie... the guy at the petstore said they'd love 'em... they ate 'em quick too. Put a dozen small ones in and they ate 'em all w/in hours. Ate about 9 of them (3 cichlids) w/in an hour I'd say... the other 3 eventually got eaten a few hours later. Good? bad? Was thinking about maybe doing it once a week. Also, is this too many feeders, or not enough, or just right?


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## Guest

What kind of cichlids do you keep?

I'd probably consider feeding it once in a while, like once every other week. (Ie, reserve it as a treat). Feeder Guppies sold in pet stores from my understanding are all between 1-2.5" in length, so feeding large amounts to certain fish can be a potential problem while other fish like adult piscivorous cichlids should be able to handle it fine.


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## EBurna

Marduk said:


> What kind of cichlids do you keep?
> 
> I'd probably consider feeding it once in a while, like once every other week. (Ie, reserve it as a treat). Feeder Guppies sold in pet stores from my understanding are all between 1-2.5" in length, so feeding large amounts to certain fish can be a potential problem while other fish like adult piscivorous cichlids should be able to handle it fine.


I have a small m.johanni, a red zebra, and a blue cobalt... the feeder guppies I got were maybe a half inch... I mean these babies were TINY... like almost brand new looking fish. Not very big at all. My cichlids aren't very big yet either, maybe 2 inches or so if that.


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## Guest

I would stop feeding them the guppies. All the fish you mentioned are herbivores. While they can tolerate some meat and extra protein they are not meant to eat fish.

In other words, they probably could eat the guppy fry with no problem, but I would limit how much you feed them and *not* feed it often.

I'd be careful with what you feed them. I would try to give them a primarily herbivorous diet with meaty treats once in a while.

~Ed


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## DJRansome

Also feeder fish raised commercially can be unhealthy and transfer their health problems to your fish.

If experienced fishkeepers want feeder fish, they like to raise their own so they can be sure the feeders won't harm their fish.

I would never do this with a herbivore or even an omnivore...my fish get their occasional live fish treat when the Mom's spit in my tank.

I think feeding feeder fish is a more usual practice for a fish like an oscar.


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## cichlidaholic

You will need to watch the fish carefully for signs of illness at this point. Should any of them begin to refuse food, behave reclusively, or show any other symptoms, you may need to move quickly.

Since the feeders may have introduced disease to your tank, or the fish could develop bloat just by eating the feeders, you may have a difficult time determining exactly what to treat if you do have problems.

Your best move would be to read up a bit on the species you are keeping. Their dietary needs are very important if you want to maintain a healthy cichlid tank. :thumb:


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## EBurna

Why is it wrong to feed them feeder fish if they're interested in them? Wouldn't they eat them if they were in the wild as well (obviously not guppies, but others)


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## Fogelhund

EBurna said:


> Why is it wrong to feed them feeder fish if they're interested in them? Wouldn't they eat them if they were in the wild as well (obviously not guppies, but others)


The thing is they don't eat them in the wild. There are of course fry in the wild, but they aren't in the density that a closed environment aquarium causes, and typically it is the more specialized predators that eat the fry. Stomach content studies have shown that the type of fish you are keeping, aren't predators of fish 1cm+.

So, it is a diet that is not natural to them, and has the capacity to kill them, even if it weren't for the reality that MOST feeders are diseased. Feeding diseased feeders to your fish, just leads to diseased fish. I just wouldn't take that risk with my fish.


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## cichlidaholic

EBurna said:


> Why is it wrong to feed them feeder fish if they're interested in them?


If you fed them everything they were _interested_ in, you wouldn't need a garbage disposal. :thumb:


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## Zumo

What about Ghost Shrimp?


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## cichlidaholic

You have to consider the dietary needs of your fish in determining what to feed them. Some are herbivores, some are omnivores and some are carnivores.

Also, introducing live food is always risky unless you raise it yourself and know it is disease free, so in most cases, it's not a chance I would take.


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## WHITE KNIGHT

it seems to make the fish more aggresive, i wont do it for that reason. try blood worm once every so often they love it, some dont agree with feeding them it but it hasn't hurt mine, just not alot and maybe once a fortnight


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## DJRansome

White Knight is right, many do not agree with feeding bloodworms to Malawi, LOL!


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## smellsfishy1

First matter at hand, don't listen to "guy at pet store" just because he sounds convincing.
They are often wrong as often as they are right so just bring a coin with you to the pet store and guess heads or tails.  
Second, feeders are often purchased for entertainment.
They don't even offer much nutrition let alone the risk of bloat (for your fish in particular) or introducing disease.
I think they sell them 10/$1. You can buy shrimp (freeze dried or frozen) for a few bucks more and get more feedings out of it.
If you want to feed them some kind of treat try some frozen krill,mysis, or seafood mix. 
These foods will also color up your fish so look at it like a win-win, prettier and healthier.


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