# Electric Yellow Cichlids and Guppies



## PBrods (Jan 6, 2012)

I started a tank of Guppies for my son. I hear that they breed like crazy. Can I feed them to my Electric Yellow Cichlids?


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## Bevo5 (Mar 19, 2004)

Big fish will always eat little fish.

And big fish will always really enjoy eating little fish.


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## PBrods (Jan 6, 2012)

The yellow labs are pretty small and only grow to about 3-4" and the guppies get to 2" so they are pretty big considering not to mention the guppies have those huge tails


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## lilcountrygal (Dec 27, 2011)

I bred guppies for the longest time. If you have three guppies (1 m, 2 f), you will have 30 by months end. If those fry survive, double it, etc.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

EDIT: oops...totally misread OP....I thought he/she was asking if guppies could be kept with yellow labs.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

PBrods said:


> I started a tank of Guppies for my son. I hear that they breed like crazy. Can I feed them to my Electric Yellow Cichlids?


No.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

GTZ said:


> PBrods said:
> 
> 
> > I started a tank of Guppies for my son. I hear that they breed like crazy. Can I feed them to my Electric Yellow Cichlids?
> ...


 :thumb:


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

I'm just wondering why not?


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

Fogelhund said:


> I'm just wondering why not?


Etiquette? :lol:


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## PBrods (Jan 6, 2012)

DJRansome said:


> GTZ said:
> 
> 
> > PBrods said:
> ...


Why?


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## Super Turtleman (May 21, 2007)

Because too much protein can lead to bloat in these guys. It's ok if they eat the occasional fry through normal "fry released in the tank" situations, but feeding them a large amount of fry may lead to trouble down the road. But it's up to you what you do, just some advice.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If I were looking for an outlet for significant numbers of guppy fry I'd get a piscivore and keep the labs on a more omnivorious (is that a word, LOL?) diet.

Too much live food and they may not be hungry enough to eat the staple food as well and get their veges and vitamins.

I've learned labs are more carnivorous than we give them credit for, but a diet of 100% guppy fry is probably not ideal?


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Suppose feeding them the occasional newly born fry would be okay, maybe as a weekly treat. As long as you fed them a more vegetative based food otherwise...

I wonder what would happen if you raise juvenile Yellow Labs with Guppies? Yellow Labs are not exactly great predators. Would they ignore Guppies? Would they learn to gang up and embrace their inner predator? Results may vary but cichlids are very adaptable.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Yellow Labs stomach contents in the wild are primarily small crustaceans, insect larvae and copepods. They consume vegetable matter as a byproduct of picking these creatures from the algae, but it is a fairly small percentage of their diet.

Feeding them guppies is unlikely to give them bloat, particularly as an occasional treat. I wouldn't use it as a prime diet though. I raise shrimps and feed mine as often as I can.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

cantrell00 said:


> Fogelhund said:
> 
> 
> > I'm just wondering why not?
> ...


Actually I was thinking it's just mean :wink: 
But yeah, as a staple it could lead to too much protein. Occasionally, probably ok, but with all of the great foods out there that meet all of their nutritional requirements, why bother.


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

Definitely not an ideal way to go..


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

You could feed the babies to them, but it wouldn't be ideal. Mbuna prefer a mostly vegetable diet like they receive in the the wild and giving them too much protein could hurt and kill them.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

The King Crabb said:


> You could feed the babies to them, but it wouldn't be ideal. Mbuna prefer a mostly vegetable diet like they receive in the the wild and giving them too much protein could hurt and kill them.


False, as explained earlier in this thread.


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## Shahlvah (Dec 28, 2011)

I thought yellow labs are herbivorous mainly, am I wrong? and if they are...no guppies (poor babies) please don't feed babies to other fish....give them away...people likes them.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Shahlvah said:


> I thought yellow labs are herbivorous mainly, am I wrong? and if they are...no guppies (poor babies) please don't feed babies to other fish....give them away...people likes them.


You are wrong.


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## Super Turtleman (May 21, 2007)

Fogelhund said:


> Yellow Labs stomach contents in the wild are primarily small crustaceans, insect larvae and copepods. They consume vegetable matter as a byproduct of picking these creatures from the algae, but it is a fairly small percentage of their diet.
> 
> Feeding them guppies is unlikely to give them bloat, particularly as an occasional treat. I wouldn't use it as a prime diet though. I raise shrimps and feed mine as often as I can.


I may've learned something today. I'll have to research it a little myself.


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## PBrods (Jan 6, 2012)

I think it's funny how people will post false information just to push their own personal views onto others. I don't believe in harming animals but do believe they are NATURALY in the food chain. Even Jesus ate fish and most don't consider him a murderer or inhumane. People just like taking things to the extreme to force their beliefs....

Sorry, had to get that out. I just post hoping to get info to help me, not agendas


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

I think the more common case is someone being incorrect simply because they lack the correct information. I would argue that more often than not, false information has nothing to do with reinforcing personal views when that person knows they're wrong, or at least I would hope not.


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## cantrell00 (Oct 30, 2010)

And some people just can't stand or comprehend being wrong regardless of how ridiculous their position on something seems to be..


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## phinexswarm35 (Aug 4, 2011)

u didnt manage thinking right,right??
what about the guppies are they belong to your sun joy or whether they tends to
be food growing because there are living food especially to cichlid as shrimp
food based protuin etc


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Let's not make this about moralities, or a "right" or "wrong". Let us just deal in the facts as to whether a Yellow Lab can handle eating small fish. :thumb:


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## phinexswarm35 (Aug 4, 2011)

yeah i guess u are right lets observe if he can eats them just pick the guppies
and see how it fit the mouth of his arch predator :lol: :lol:


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