soexcitinggirl wants to know:
I just bought 2 electric yellow african cichlids today and they seem to be doing well… but I just went to feed them, and I had bought floating small cichlid pellets, and they won’t eat them. Both of them took one pellet each in their mouth, and then spit it out. I can tell they are hungry because when I got close to the tank they got excited and were swimming up to me; also they tried to eat the pellets right away when I put them in. So, since they wouldn’t eat the pellets I gave them some tropical fish flakes that came with the tank. They both ignored these as they floated on top of the water, but as soon as the filter current pushed the flakes down, they gobbled them up right away. They both sat together in one spot to the right of where the current ended, and ate the flakes as they came near, but if the flakes went to the left, they didn’t go after them. So what is going on? I’m wondering if when they were at the petstore with all the other cichlids, maybe their “place” to eat was at the bottom while the bigger cichlids patrolled the top? I’m just worried about this because I want them to eat all the flakes when I put them in, or else I assume the tank will get cloudy fast.
I just bought 2 electric yellow african cichlids today and they seem to be doing well… but I just went to feed them, and I had bought floating small cichlid pellets, and they won’t eat them. Both of them took one pellet each in their mouth, and then spit it out. I can tell they are hungry because when I got close to the tank they got excited and were swimming up to me; also they tried to eat the pellets right away when I put them in. So, since they wouldn’t eat the pellets I gave them some tropical fish flakes that came with the tank. They both ignored these as they floated on top of the water, but as soon as the filter current pushed the flakes down, they gobbled them up right away. They both sat together in one spot to the right of where the current ended, and ate the flakes as they came near, but if the flakes went to the left, they didn’t go after them. So what is going on? I’m wondering if when they were at the petstore with all the other cichlids, maybe their “place” to eat was at the bottom while the bigger cichlids patrolled the top? I’m just worried about this because I want them to eat all the flakes when I put them in, or else I assume the tank will get cloudy fast.
March 14th, 2010 at 7:02 am
As “Electric Yellow Cichlids” could mean a lot of different species, I’m going to assume you are talking about Labidochromis caeruleus, or more commonly, the Yellow Lab. They sound like they’re either picky eaters, and need to be enticed by movement, or they’re still afraid to go to the surface for food. This happens often with Mbuna. The bigger ones control the surface during feeding time, and the little ones are afraid to go up there. When they do, it makes them more vulnerable to attacks from behind. When they get used to their new tank, they’ll be less shy. Some of my Mbunas almost jump out of the water for flakes, while some are a bit more timid when feeding. Maybe try some sinking pellets. My Mbunas love these: and you can get them at PetSmart. They help feed the more timid ones, because they sink straight down like a rock. Just give them some time to adjust, and if there is any uneaten food, remove it. It won’t only cloud the tank, it’ll decay and be a huge source of ammonia.