live food?

I was wondering if there is a live food I could feed to my cichlids as
a treat? I have a 55 gallon tank with about 15 cichlids at about 3 or
4 inches long.I feed them cichlid flakes,african sinking pellets or
staple floating type pellets rotating them every couple of days so
each is happy.Every once and awile as a treat I offer them krill
crumbleing it for them.They love it.I have tried to make the tank
enviroment as natural as possible with many stones arranged as caves
and real plants that most seem to play and hide in and around and a
couple of others that stop at nothing to pull each plant up.I'm new at
this and have had this tank for about a year.I guess becouse I want it
as natural as possible I wonder often what most (wild) cichlids
eat.Most of mine are african with a couple of jack
dempseys,convicts,electric yellow,electric blue and a 5 or 6 inch
algae eater to help clean up.Thanks for any advice.

Chances are, they will go crazy for either live worms (such as blood worms
or black worms) or small fish.

Jonathan

"wayne p" wrote in message
om...
I was wondering if there is a live food I could feed to my cichlids as
a treat? I have a 55 gallon tank with about 15 cichlids at about 3 or
4 inches long.I feed them cichlid flakes,african sinking pellets or
staple floating type pellets rotating them every couple of days so
each is happy.Every once and awile as a treat I offer them krill
crumbleing it for them.They love it.I have tried to make the tank
enviroment as natural as possible with many stones arranged as caves
and real plants that most seem to play and hide in and around and a
couple of others that stop at nothing to pull each plant up.I'm new at
this and have had this tank for about a year.I guess becouse I want it
as natural as possible I wonder often what most (wild) cichlids
eat.Most of mine are african with a couple of jack
dempseys,convicts,electric yellow,electric blue and a 5 or 6 inch
algae eater to help clean up.Thanks for any advice.

(wayne p) wrote in
om:

I was wondering if there is a live food I could feed to my
cichlids as a treat? I have a 55 gallon tank with about 15
cichlids at about 3 or 4 inches long.I feed them cichlid
flakes,african sinking pellets or staple floating type pellets
rotating them every couple of days so each is happy.Every once
and awile as a treat I offer them krill crumbleing it for
them.They love it.I have tried to make the tank enviroment as
natural as possible with many stones arranged as caves and real
plants that most seem to play and hide in and around and a
couple of others that stop at nothing to pull each plant up.I'm
new at this and have had this tank for about a year.I guess
becouse I want it as natural as possible I wonder often what
most (wild) cichlids eat.Most of mine are african with a couple
of jack dempseys,convicts,electric yellow,electric blue and a 5
or 6 inch algae eater to help clean up.Thanks for any advice.

I would recommend that you first do a bit more research on your
fish. Different cichlid species have different dietary preferences
and needs. They also have different natural habitats -- some
naturally occurring in rocky areas, others in open sandy areas,
others with lots of plants. You have a very wide variety of
cichlids in the same tank. Frankly, I do not believe there is any
live food, or any tank environment, that will be natural or
entirely appropriate for all of them. But if I had to pick one
live food, it would probably be live brine shrimp or live fish fry.

Meph

As advicsed above, the mix of cichlids in your tank makes it impossible to
simulate natrual surroundings. You have Central American Cichlids and
Africans ( Malawi's or Mbuna ), these fish are from different continents.
Although the Convict can thrive quite nicely in similair water condtions as
the Malawi's, they come from two distinctively different environments. ( I
use a convict in my Malawi tank for a target fish, takes a licking and keeps
on ticking, the needed water conditons for the malawi's and Convict are
similair as well..). AS far as the Dempsy goes, I am suprised you never
mentioned he might be beating the other fish up, as from waht I understand
he likes his solitude ( I have never owned a Dempsy nor have I done much
reading on them ). My Electric Yellows ( yellow Lab's) seem to enjoy hiding
in the fake plants, where as my lectric Blues rather enjoy retiring into
some plastic piping I have in the tank.. The convict also hides amongst the
plants as well.. Sounds like you have a nice tank and you have enjoyed
looking after it, now buy soem books and enjoy it even more. Happy Fish
Keeping..

Timmer..
"Mephistopheles" wrote in
message hlink.net...
(wayne p) wrote in
om:

I was wondering if there is a live food I could feed to my
cichlids as a treat? I have a 55 gallon tank with about 15
cichlids at about 3 or 4 inches long.I feed them cichlid
flakes,african sinking pellets or staple floating type pellets
rotating them every couple of days so each is happy.Every once
and awile as a treat I offer them krill crumbleing it for
them.They love it.I have tried to make the tank enviroment as
natural as possible with many stones arranged as caves and real
plants that most seem to play and hide in and around and a
couple of others that stop at nothing to pull each plant up.I'm
new at this and have had this tank for about a year.I guess
becouse I want it as natural as possible I wonder often what
most (wild) cichlids eat.Most of mine are african with a couple
of jack dempseys,convicts,electric yellow,electric blue and a 5
or 6 inch algae eater to help clean up.Thanks for any advice.

I would recommend that you first do a bit more research on your
fish. Different cichlid species have different dietary preferences
and needs. They also have different natural habitats -- some
naturally occurring in rocky areas, others in open sandy areas,
others with lots of plants. You have a very wide variety of
cichlids in the same tank. Frankly, I do not believe there is any
live food, or any tank environment, that will be natural or
entirely appropriate for all of them. But if I had to pick one
live food, it would probably be live brine shrimp or live fish fry.

Meph

The LFS here sells Ghost Shrimp - 12 cents a piece.

My Puffers love them. Since I have caves and a number of hiding places
for my Gobies, some of the Ghost Shrimp have reached a size where they
are no longer intimidated by the Puffers. The Puffers swim by them,
eyeing them, but no attempt is made to munch them.

Since my Knight Gobies, who share the caves with the Ghost Shrimp, stay
so fat, I think this may be due to the Ghost Shrimp's off spring.

Anyway, I explained this to my friend who has a 55 Gallon African
Cichlid Tank. He now reports his Cichlids won't even give any of the
Ghost Shrimp time to hide before making a meal of them!

One more thing I should mention....
My Oscar Tank has no top cover or light.
(They didn't like it. I was just glad I was home and heard the noise
before they were cut or electrocuted)
A lot of the Ghost Shrimp I put in the Oscar Tank decided their chances
were better on the living room floor. :-)