Feeding Cichlids

[umdkillerb]

I read once, twice, and three times a day depending on the website or literature..... what is the true answer to feeding cichlids, all kinds?

I also here fasting for once a week, and that very small portions once a day will help to keep the fish alive for long. What is the deal with overfeeding, I know that leaving uneaten food in the tank is harmful because it decays, besides that why is it bad when the fish eat too much? Is it because they get sluggish? Any tips ?

Again I already know what uneaten food will do, besides that why should I not feed my beggers until they are full?

 

[Orion]

The answer to feeding cichlids? That is a HUGE question. It depends on what type of cichlid and what they need to eat. Some cichlids like mbuna eat a lot of algae and plant matter in the wild, so that's what their bodies are adjusted too, and if you try to feed them a lot of protein rich food they will suffer and die. On the other hand, predatory cichlids will not do well on a plant heavy diet. Then the omnivores in the middle really don't care. The other important thing than feeding a quality food is to offer some sort of variety of food.

Most fish find small bits of food though out the day, so they eat small bits though out the day. They aren't used to humans feeding them larger portions a couple times. Now some fish are able to adapt to this quite well, while others are not. From my understanding it really depends on the digestive system of the fish as how easily they can adapt more or less. They won't become sluggish, they will eat themselves to death literally. Eons of living in the wild have taught them that when food is available to eat as much as they can till it's gone, because out there the don't know when or where the next meal might be. However in home aquaria it's a very different story. BUT, we can't just train a fish not to eat, so we have to be mindful of the portions we put in the tank. Fish are almost never full in the wild, and it doesn't hurt them to be a bit hungry in our tanks either. HTH.