Hi,

I'm cycling my tank with 6 Juvenile Malawi Red Zebras and a 4 inch Red Tailed Black Shark (had no choice with putting the Shark in).

I'm a bit bemused by what to feed them and how often. Some people say a little bit 2 or 3 times a day, others say once every other day.

My local LFS sold me some Frozen Malawi Mix and said to add 1 square every other day. I did this but they only ate a bit of it, so I took it out to save it turning to Ammonia.

I then decided to try pellets so I could control the amount they get, I got the small ones but even those were too big and the fish just swam around with them stuck in there mouths (is this normal?).

Can anybody recommend a good feeding regime they have had success with?

Cheers,

Paul.

yea, it must be normal because mine do the exact same thing with pellets. i got baby pellts & so called 'mini' pellets but they're not so mini i reckon.

i dont think feeding once is a good idea. not feeding mbuna enougth will lead to feirce battles when they do get food, and feeding to much can lead to all kinds of problems. also, a fully satisfied fish will have nothing better to do than to harrass other fish, so imo it is better to leave them a little hungry.

im no expert, but i feed mine twice aday, rougthly about 9am & 9pm. i got told a good mix of foods is best. ive heard of 'malawi mix' but aint tried it. atm i feed them shrimp, insect larvae (once or twice a week as a treat), pellets, fresh veg. im going to my lfs soon to see what other food they have. maybe mysis or krill. someone told me that feeding anykind of 'worm' is a quick way to give them bloat. dunno if its true or not (yet), but it put me off.

i think your zebra's are Omnivores. so they will do well with fresh spinach, peas, and lettuce. remember too much meat protein may cause bloat.

This post has been edited by darrel69: Oct 4 2007, 10:27 PM

Did someone hold a gun to your head with the shark then LOL

Also, how comes you cycling with fish? Just going to leave you with stressed fish that may or may not recover properly

Here's my feeding regime for my Malawi "mix" tank, its from a thread of mine

DIET (approx figures)

x1 per week, Courgette and Cucumber, left in for 24 hrs
x1 per week, Lettuce left in for 24 hrs, gets 90% eaten anyway
x2 per week, JBL RIFT Algae Pellets
x2 per week, Hikari Cichlid Excel pellets (Wheat Germ and Spirulina)
every 3-4 days or so, FROZEN SELECTION (Brine Shrimp, Mysis or Cichlid Diet)

How big are your Red Zebra's? I have some that are about 1" to 1.25"

EDIT: the JBL pellets are great, they break up pretty quick on the water, so even small fish can consume them

This post has been edited by fry_lover: Oct 4 2007, 08:32 PM

regarding the frequency, its x1 daily for me

also, i dont feed them x1 day per week, i have read some stuff on internet that iwas satisifed with, that suggests Mbuna are more liely than any fish to benefit from not having food x1 day per week (something to do with their intestines, stomachs)

Thanks for the replies.

I've ended up feeding them Hikari Micro Pellet twice a day which seems good. The fish love them and they sink to the bottom fairly quickish. I'll save the mini pellets for when they grow a bit bigger. I plan on using the frozen mix as a weekly treat for them, as well as the odd bit of veg.

Is there anything specific I should be feeding my shark, or will he be ok on the same stuff? He never seems to eat much anyway.

I had to keep my shark as I was giving away my old tank, so it was either give him away with it, or try to keep him with my Malawi. I chose the latter because I've had him a year now and I've got a soft spot for him.

My zebras vary in size but are around 1inch long.

I'm cycling with fish because I tried the fishless way but it just wasn't happening, and every aquatics place and person I asked about fishless cycling looked at me as if I'd spat on their baby daughter or something. So I basically decided to continue the cycle with fish.

Paul.

"I'm cycling with fish because I tried the fishless way but it just wasn't happening, and every aquatics place and person I asked about fishless cycling looked at me as if I'd spat on their baby daughter or something. So I basically decided to continue the cycle with fish"

i can well believe that, it's an insane world we live in, and this insanity is often at it's highest amongst "some" but NOT "all" LFS staff.

Very diplomatically put.

try omega one color enhancer pellets that should be a small enough size to fit in their mouths help my baby flowerhorns get really nice and red too