# How to feed synodontis petricola in 125 gallon mbuna tank



## Alpinefr3ak (Jan 3, 2012)

Just like title says. Cichlids suck down food before petricola gets it, petricola doesnt seem to like sinking wafers

What are my other options?


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## quentin8 (Sep 30, 2011)

every other day I drop a Hikari algae wafer in the tank the petricola go crazy for them. My mbuna show little to no interest unless its been sitting for awhile and has softend up. petricola are little pigs they will usually eat anything.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

I use small pellets so no way the mbuna can get it all.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Agreed. If you dump the pellets in (all at once and quick...) some make it to the bottom even though the cichlids are swarming the ones still in the water column.

Many report that the Synodontis will learn to come to the top and hold their own with the cichlids at feeding time. Mine are spoiled I guess.

My cichlids play frisbee and keep away with the algae wafers so that did not work for me.

Really the Synos are getting enough to eat, as long as their bellies don't look concave. You may not see them eat. Don't forget they get whatever the cichlids miss on the bottom all during the night.


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## DIAMOND_CICHLIDS (Sep 22, 2011)

DJRansome said:


> My cichlids play frisbee and keep away with the algae wafers so that did not work for me.


 :lol: Mine seem to play rugby :lol:


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## aussiecameron85 (Feb 13, 2012)

i use nls 2mm pellets and iff you put a little bit of force into throwing the food in some sink while some stay on top and then my petricola get the sinking ones and my cichlids get the ones on top


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## ABFish (Oct 27, 2011)

For mine, it definitely takes effort. My 1mm sinking pellets never seem to make it past the mbuna, but I've had 6 Syno Multies for 3 months now, and they are all still looking healthy, so I guess they are eating something. I tried just dropping wafers in, and the mbuna would catch and fight over those too. I tried using a pvc tube to hide the wafers going to the bottom. That works for a minute, until the mbuna see the multies enjoying one, and then the big bullies steal the wafers. What I started doing a week or two ago was breaking the wafers into 2 or 3 pieces before dropping them down the pvc. This way they are small enough that the multies can carry them away before being caught, and it looks to be working. I hope so since my mbuna are definitely growing at a faster rate than my multies, but that may be typical. I have no idea.


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## ranchialex (Dec 4, 2011)

A 3 finger pinch (thumb + 2 fingers) of 1mm sinking pellets will ensure that roughly 10% get to the bottom. I spread it out around 2.5' in the center of the tank in one quick motion. My loaches easily get their share off the substrate.


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