# Feeding my Tropheus



## alfadog (Dec 18, 2009)

Hey everybody. I got a question.
I found a beautiful tropheus red at the lfs the other day and I just had to have it.
he is getting along just fine with everybody, and is the only tropheus I have. I feed bloodworms and other meat sources, glow worms...etc. and he loves them but I 've read that you should'nt feed them this. is this going to hurt him in anyway?


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## supadave (Jun 19, 2007)

Yes. Tropheus are vegetarians by nature....so if you continue to feed him a heavy meat diet..he may develope bloat.


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## tom_patriot (Feb 24, 2007)

Unfortunately, you are feeding him the worst possible food you can give him. If you are putting a Troph in a mixed tank, you need to feed the tank like it is a Troph only tank - no meaty treats.

You can feed NLS cichlid pellets (1 mm) to the whole tank and the Troph will thrive on it. Also, try feeding a veggie flake in conjunction with the NLS pellets and all will be right with the world.................


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## alfadog (Dec 18, 2009)

thanks guys :thumb: .
I do feed them the pellets and the flakes and crisps. and fresh veggies also algea waffers. and it is a mixed tank.
the bloodworms are just a treat.
so can they not digest it . what makes it so bad for them.
once again thanks.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

They eat more of it than is good for them. They eat all they can being opportunistic feeders when the opportunity presents itself coming from a nutrient poor environment (very rare for them to find such food in the wild) and it can grow pathogens in their guts because being naturally more Aufwuchs-feeders they have long guts with slow transit. They also get fat on such rich foods if over used and internal organs can fail due to fat build up long term.

I dunno which you mean by bloodworm.

Blood worm or bloodworm is an ambiguous term and can refer to:

* The larva of a non-biting midge (Family Chironomidae) containing hemoglobin
* The polychaete Glycera, often used for fishing bait
* The worm, Lumbriculus variegatus, more commonly called blackworm, but often misnamed by pet store

I would use none of them for Tropheus to be on the safe side but the top one prob less bad as the others if used infrequently in small amounts but many come from stagnant waters (the hemoglobin that gives the red colour being an adaption to low oxygen levels) they may have high bacterial loads and introduce other diseases that could also cause harm to Tropheus.

All the best James


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Sorry that prob came over a bit heavy. They do adapt well to many foods like NLS etc and can halve the length of their gut (an amazing adaption to plenty) can be healthier (and breed far more) than ones in the wild which often suffer from malnutrition but some foods are prob pushing their adaptability a bit far. :wink: 
Not saying it kills all Tropheus, individual humans may smoked, drink and eat only meaty fatty foods and be over weight and have little physical exercise and be exposed to poor sanitary conditions and diseases and live to 90 but I do not recommend trying that life stile or playing those odds.


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## alfadog (Dec 18, 2009)

Ok. thanks James. that did shine a lite on the subject.
I will investegate futher into the bloodworms and see what i actually have.
one more question. what does NLS stand for?
I will hold off on the "treats" until I know more. One thing thou. he is very active. lol
They are really cool fish. I love to just sit and watch. opcorn: 
thanks again.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Great to watch.
With NLS I am referring to New Life Spectrum cichlid pellets, a fish food sold as being the best you can feed any cichlid and with which many Tropheus breeders have great success. Others use spirulina flake foods (many makes OSI Nutrafin ) or European shrimp mix or any flake.
Others add peas and other green veggies to the diet and make sure they can graze algae to mimic their natural diet.

To be honest I find little difference (food and health wise) they all seem good to me, as long as not overfed and large quantities of live and meaty foods are avoided.


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