Recommended food options

[nordix]

I've finally reached full tank quota and everyone seems to be getting along just fine.

Time to take a closer look at my feeding patterns.

I've got a mix of food brands: Hikari Cichlid Excel mini pellets, Tetra Cichlid XL sticks, and Tetra Pleco Spirulina Wafers.

My tank's got a pretty diverse group of residents - 13 in total, ranging in size. The breakdown is as follows:
1 Bristlenose Pleco, 1 Lake Victoria Synodontis Catfish, 1 Red Tail Shark, 1 Mdoka White Lips Cichlid, 2 OB Peacock Cichlids, 1 Jacobfreibergi Peacock Cichlid, 1 Strawberry Peacock Cichlid, 1 Dragon Blood Peacock Cichlid, 1 Yellow Lab Mbuna Cichlid, 1 Aulonocara Usisya Peacock Cichlid, 1 Electric Blue Aulonocara Nyassae Peacock Cichlid, and 1 Sunshine Aulonocara Nyassae Peacock Cichlid.

My regular feeding routine (not counting live food and extra treats) looks like this:

Tuesdays and Thursdays: 20 Hikari Cichlid Excel mini pellets per day.
Saturdays: 8 Tetra Cichlid XL sticks.
Sundays: 3 Tetra Pleco Spirulina Wafers.

How's this for a starting point? Should I be feeding them more or is this enough?

[willie32]

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[nordix]

Thanks willie32 for the feedback, really appreciate it.

My feeding plan - I'm still a bit in the dark about whether I'm over or underfeeding them. I know it's all about their eating habits and size, but I'm looking for a general guideline to start with. Is my current routine enough, or should I be considering an increase?

[willie32]

I've finally reached full tank quota and everyone seems to be getting along just fine.

Time to take a closer look at my feeding patterns.

I've got a mix of food brands: Hikari Cichlid Excel mini pellets, Tetra Cichlid XL sticks, and Tetra Pleco Spirulina Wafers.

My tank's got a pretty diverse group of residents - 13 in total, ranging in size. The breakdown is as follows:
1 Bristlenose Pleco, 1 Lake Victoria Synodontis Catfish, 1 Red Tail Shark, 1 Mdoka White Lips Cichlid, 2 OB Peacock Cichlids, 1 Jacobfreibergi Peacock Cichlid, 1 Strawberry Peacock Cichlid, 1 Dragon Blood Peacock Cichlid, 1 Yellow Lab Mbuna Cichlid, 1 Aulonocara Usisya Peacock Cichlid, 1 Electric Blue Aulonocara Nyassae Peacock Cichlid, and 1 Sunshine Aulonocara Nyassae Peacock Cichlid.

My regular feeding routine (not counting live food and extra treats) looks like this:

Tuesdays and Thursdays: 20 Hikari Cichlid Excel mini pellets per day.
Saturdays: 8 Tetra Cichlid XL sticks.
Sundays: 3 Tetra Pleco Spirulina Wafers.

How's this for a starting point? Should I be feeding them more or is this enough?

I'm a bit further along on the Malawi route, so not the best person for advice on fluffnut just yet, but I can share some thoughts on your feeding plan. I used to give my Americans Hikari, but unfortunately, a few of them developed some nasty bloat, so I stopped using it. However, the Tetra sticks should be a good choice - I've always been a fan of Tetra Prima, high protein and not much ash. The algae wafers are a great option for your Bristlenose Pleco, but if the Peacocks and Haps aren't getting a look-in, they'd do better on something with higher protein.

In the wild, they tend to munch on a lot of bugs and even hunt out juvenile Mbunas in the rocks. I've heard great things about Northfin foods for Malawi, and some of the Repashy products too, so you might want to consider those as well.

[nordix]

I'm seeing some early signs of bloat in a few of mine, so I think mixing up the food could be the way to go.

[bettaMagenta]

I've recently been trying out Ultra Fresh Tropical Fish Food and I'm really impressed with the results. Their "Excellent Bits" is a probiotic food that's supposed to reduce fish waste, and I've noticed a difference in my tank. The slowly sinking pellets really get the fish excited, it's like a feeding frenzy. Most of my fish seem to love it, and I've also been using their "micro pellet" for my smaller fish as part of my rotation. I've got around 4-5 different foods that I switch between, including some live and frozen options like brine shrimp and Tubiflex.

[willie32]

I've finally reached full tank quota and everyone seems to be getting along just fine.

Time to take a closer look at my feeding patterns.

I've got a mix of food brands: Hikari Cichlid Excel mini pellets, Tetra Cichlid XL sticks, and Tetra Pleco Spirulina Wafers.

My tank's got a pretty diverse group of residents - 13 in total, ranging in size. The breakdown is as follows:
1 Bristlenose Pleco, 1 Lake Victoria Synodontis Catfish, 1 Red Tail Shark, 1 Mdoka White Lips Cichlid, 2 OB Peacock Cichlids, 1 Jacobfreibergi Peacock Cichlid, 1 Strawberry Peacock Cichlid, 1 Dragon Blood Peacock Cichlid, 1 Yellow Lab Mbuna Cichlid, 1 Aulonocara Usisya Peacock Cichlid, 1 Electric Blue Aulonocara Nyassae Peacock Cichlid, and 1 Sunshine Aulonocara Nyassae Peacock Cichlid.

My regular feeding routine (not counting live food and extra treats) looks like this:

Tuesdays and Thursdays: 20 Hikari Cichlid Excel mini pellets per day.
Saturdays: 8 Tetra Cichlid XL sticks.
Sundays: 3 Tetra Pleco Spirulina Wafers.

How's this for a starting point? Should I be feeding them more or is this enough?

I'm not entirely convinced that the bloat issue is solely related to Mbunas, I've had my fair share of Peacocks and Haps getting bloated too. It seems to me that it's more about the overall diet and feeding patterns rather than just the type of fish. I mean, if you're feeding high-protein foods to your Peacocks and Haps excessively, they can still get bloat, right?