# CICHLIDS DIET AND FEEDING.



## jasonburtonbabcock (May 24, 2016)

Hello All, I have a question concerning the food i am feeding my cichlids and how often i should do so. So i have blood worms, brine shrimp and cichlid floating pellets. I feed them a mix of these each night at 5:30 pm. My question is, should i be feeding the blood worms and brine shrimp every night? They seem to really take to them but i also heard about that being to much protein for them? Is there any other type of food i should be feeding them as well, i am doing this correct and is there something i should change? My cichlids are Lake Malawi cichlids. :fish: Thank you.


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## Kevin in Ky (Dec 31, 2013)

I wouldn't use the bloodworms at all. Not sure about the brine shrimp..I don't feed them but my first thought is that it would be fine occasionally but not every day, as a staple food. Your cichlid pellets are a good every day food,..assuming it is a good brand and proper size for your fish (NLS is a good brand that I use.) Spirulina flakes are a good choice to add along with the pellets each feeding. That is my feeding schedule in all of my Malawi tanks,..mix of NLS pellets and Cobalt spirulina flakes once a day (sometimes two smaller feedings)..and all are healthy and happy! I'm sure there are many other good brands,..these are just what I have settled on.


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## jasonburtonbabcock (May 24, 2016)

Ok, awesome. Seem like you hear different stories about blood worms, some good some bad. I will go to the store today and Spirulina flakes and some pellets that sink to the bottom. Seem the pellets that stay at the top of the tank the fish dont always see. Thanks for the info.


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## BuckeyeTez (May 10, 2016)

I feed mine NLS, Dainichi Color Supreme / Krill pellets and a piece of raw shrimp on Sunday's. They go absolutely nuts for the shrimp to the point that I blend it up while frozen so they don't fight over a chunk size.


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## LeeAberdeen (Sep 4, 2014)

I give my all-male African tank bloodworm every day, but only because I have clown loaches in with them and they love it. They tend to wait around for it, staring at me and ignoring other food, and I haven't got the heart to deny them their daily treat. I know, it's pathetic.

I'd heard bad things about bloodworm too, and thought that was what had caused bloat, but then it happened in my other tank, and they don't get bloodworm. I think the fears are overstated, and saying not to use it at all is overkill when you're using pellets, which have equally been blamed for causing bloat in mainly algae feeders. Moderation is probably the key.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would not feed bloodworms, especially to mbuna. If you want a treat for them, give them mysis once/week.

Any place you hear pellets blamed for causing bloat...stomp out the rumour!!.


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## dledinger (Mar 20, 2013)

I feed NLS to every fish in the house except fry. Egg layers start on First Bites and mouth brooders start on Omega One flakes. Mbuna get broccoli or noori occasionally, but that's mostly for my entertainment.


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