# feeding catfish with mbuna's



## kittyk (Sep 20, 2012)

How does everyone feed their catfish and pleco's in a mbuna tank ? When I started out with the cichlids I gave the bottom dwellers algae wafers and API bottom feeder pellets but my mbunas would eat them , and after dealing with bloat issues I don't feed the bottom dwellers anything special. They have grown and look good but I feel neglectful to them


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## shelbynjakesdad (Mar 13, 2013)

I have synodontis cats with my mbuna and I was very worried about them because of the way the mbuna eat so aggressively. What I do is dump all of the food for the day in at once so at least some of it makes it down to the substrate. The synodonis have learned that they better get it quickly. It still seems like they don't get much, but they are healthy looking and I haven't lost one of them yet! I run my lights 14+ hours per day to grow as much algae as I can. Between the mbuna, plecos, and nerites, it can barely keep up.


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## Bikeman48088 (Nov 13, 2013)

kittyk said:


> How does everyone feed their catfish and pleco's in a mbuna tank ? When I started out with the cichlids I gave the bottom dwellers algae wafers and API bottom feeder pellets but my mbunas would eat them , and after dealing with bloat issues I don't feed the bottom dwellers anything special. They have grown and look good but I feel neglectful to them


I have an albino bristlenose pleco and a Chinese Algae Eater in with my Mbunas, FMs and JDs. I feed them an algae wafer that everybody else seems to stay away from. I also throw in some Spirulina pellets that I get from a LFS for $4.99 per 1/2 pound container. All of the fish like them. The pleco also eats my driftwood.


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## kittyk (Sep 20, 2012)

shelbynjakesdad said:


> I have synodontis cats with my mbuna and I was very worried about them because of the way the mbuna eat so aggressively. What I do is dump all of the food for the day in at once so at least some of it makes it down to the substrate. The synodonis have learned that they better get it quickly. It still seems like they don't get much, but they are healthy looking and I haven't lost one of them yet! I run my lights 14+ hours per day to grow as much algae as I can. Between the mbuna, plecos, and nerites, it can barely keep up.


With my first group of mbuna's I did exactly that and they ended up with bloat, but I also think think part of it was the food I intially started with (to high in protein and poor quality). I like your idea about leaving the lights on more to grow algae, I'm starting to do the same. The past year I was trying not to leave it on as much because I read somewhere that they don't like lights,,,,but I really don't see where they mind the lights with the new group of mbuna's


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## Ben_dover (Feb 11, 2014)

I had the same issues with my plecos, what I started doing when my mbunas began eating the wafers was feed the mbunas an hour before I turned off the lights. Once the mbunas were sleeping I would come back and feed my plecos shrimp pellets they were perfect since the API shrimp pellets are only 35% protein and really low in fat so mbunas could actually eat some occasionally too. Most algae eaters and catfish are nocturnal so if you get them used to eating at night when the lights are off you should be fine. 
Another option is feeding them cucumber which your mbunas and cats will love and everybody will get their fill just make sure to take out the left overs.


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## kittyk (Sep 20, 2012)

Ben_dover said:


> I had the same issues with my plecos, what I started doing when my mbunas began eating the wafers was feed the mbunas an hour before I turned off the lights. Once the mbunas were sleeping I would come back and feed my plecos shrimp pellets they were perfect since the API shrimp pellets are only 35% protein and really low in fat so mbunas could actually eat some occasionally too. Most algae eaters and catfish are nocturnal so if you get them used to eating at night when the lights are off you should be fine.
> Another option is feeding them cucumber which your mbunas and cats will love and everybody will get their fill just make sure to take out the left overs.


I've feed them zuchinni , need to try the cucumber. I've always wondered if mbuna's could overeat on fresh veggies :-?


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## Ben_dover (Feb 11, 2014)

kittyk said:


> I've feed them zuchinni , need to try the cucumber. I've always wondered if mbuna's could overeat on fresh veggies :-?


Zucchini is great for them too, I wouldn't really worry about them over eating veggies, in the wild they eat algae and other vegetation all day long. Plus fresh veggies are filled with fiber and highly digestible, the only thing I would worry about is making sure your water quality isn't comprimised by leaving veggies in the tank for to long. Make sure you balance enough pellets though since the marm, lace cats, yellow lab and BP are omnivores. good luck!


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## kittyk (Sep 20, 2012)

Ben_dover said:


> kittyk said:
> 
> 
> > I've feed them zuchinni , need to try the cucumber. I've always wondered if mbuna's could overeat on fresh veggies :-?
> ...


Yes, I definitely need to order some NLS spectrum.


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