# Food suggestions for my convict



## CoolCichlid (Feb 12, 2010)

As of now, I'm giving them flakes, but it doesn't look healthy...Do you think its fine? Suggestions are welcome


----------



## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

It is best to offer pellets.
Less mess, more bang for the buck, easier for fish to eat....
How big is the convict?
Is it the only fish in the tank?
How is the water quality?
What flakes are you feeding?


----------



## firetiger (Mar 3, 2010)

I feed pellets to mine as a staple. I use Hikari gold sinking pellets. I feed flakes ocassionally for a little variety and frozen bloodworm as a nice treat. variety is the spice of life, and your fish will appreciate it. :thumb:

smellsfishy: I don't think he was concerned that his fish don't look healthy, he was concerned that the flake food would not be an ideal source of healthy nutrition. so the water quality concerns are probably not concerns at all.


----------



## Imaconvict (Feb 1, 2010)

I too feed mine Hikari Gold but the floating pellets, they eat them off the top and nothing is left over to sit at the bottom of the tank, For an occasional treat I feed them bloodworms and float a piece of Romaine lettuce they seem to love that stuff.


----------



## CoolCichlid (Feb 12, 2010)

I'll switch to pellets :thumb: 
but what's the difference between floating and sinking? Is there any difference with regards to nutrition?


----------



## cage623 (Feb 2, 2008)

Just get a quality cichlid pellet. I believe almost all cichlid pellets float and that is fine. Cons are not known to be shy and will eat almost anything. I always fed mine a pellet and occationally would offer some other things as 'treats' like freeze dried shrimp, or shrimp pellets (which do sink). How big is the con in question and how is it eating now? what other fish are in the tank?


----------



## Bkeen (Mar 13, 2009)

Spirulina pellets, Hikari gold as a base diet and bloodworms or krill as treats


----------



## Chicklette (Mar 4, 2010)

I give mine;

Pellets (Spirulina pellets, Hikari like Bkeen as a staple diet)
Flakes
Live worms (earth worms, blood worms, black worms, mealworms, ect)
Plankton
Krill
Shrimp
Daphnia
Frozen Foods
Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ and much much more

You should take a look at Big AlÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s, they deliver VERY fast and you can order online. They have a huge variety of food.

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl ... 0/fishfood


----------



## Bkeen (Mar 13, 2009)

NLS makes good stuff as well-

But the bottom line is to make sure your fish have a varied diet.


----------



## Chicklette (Mar 4, 2010)

Yes, a big variety is what keeps them healthy and interested in food. Once in a while I will go bananas online and shop for just food at BiG Al's. I've spent $100 just on food there, lol. :roll:


----------



## firetiger (Mar 3, 2010)

CoolCichlid said:


> I'll switch to pellets :thumb:
> but what's the difference between floating and sinking? Is there any difference with regards to nutrition?


I only give em sinking pellets because they seem to prefer them. The babies in the tank will readily rise to the surface to take floating pellets but the adult pair I have do not. I'm sure if I were to only provide floating pellets they would eventually become hungry enough to have no choice but to use them. I just choose to use the sinking pellets. Both are fine.


----------



## CoolCichlid (Feb 12, 2010)

Thanks for every input, I appreciate it a lot

What's the difference between floating and sinking?


----------



## Imaconvict (Feb 1, 2010)

Pretty much just as it sounds, one sinks to the bottom and the other floats near the top, it is really a matter of preference. As you can read on these posts, these fish have a pretty wide range of food they'll eat and you will find their favorites over time.


----------



## firetiger (Mar 3, 2010)

If I were you I would just use the floating pellets. The sinking pellets are more difficult to find for me locally and I have had to order them. There is little to no difference in nutritional value between the two, simply a difference in presentation. If you begin by feeding floating pellets they will probably never become spoiled like mine have :lol: another benefit to using the floating pellet is that it is alot easier to remove excess food should you over feed slightly. Just a thought. :thumb:


----------



## Riceburner (Sep 3, 2008)

mine get flakes, pellets, home made in gel mix..... what ever.


----------



## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

There should be no 'fish food' a convict won't eat. If it can chew it, it will eat it.

I personally find Convicts do best on Hikari Cichlid Complete-- but SOMEBODY doesn't MAKE that any more :roll: (Which is why I have banned Hikari dry foods from my fish keeping). The next best thing in my opinion is the New Life Spectrum GROW formula until the fish is finished growing then the Discus or finicky fish formula. These are higher quality (especially the finicky fish formula) than the cichlid formula and contain more amino acids. The Finicky fish formula contains no meal like the cichlid formula does. Cichlid formula is krill powder and herring meal, finicky fish is mussel krill and herring, no meal.

If you have the money to spend I suggest you get dainichi www.dainichi.com veggie FX to add to combine 50/50 with the new life spectrum once the fish is an adult. It does not contain enough fat to be fed to anything outside tanganyikans or certain malawis as a staple but it produces exceptional blue/black/white enhancement, keeps the digestive tract clean, and produces superior musculature somehow to any other food I've tried.


----------



## CoolCichlid (Feb 12, 2010)

What can you say about Wardley Cichlid Floating Pellets?


----------

