Originally posted by thecichlidaddict:
Here is an edited clip from an old website of mine. Is this the type of thing you have in mind?
Perfecting the Mbuna Diet
1. Introduction
2. Four Types of Feeders
2. The Fresh Meaty Diet
3. The Fresh Roughage Diet
4. Prepared Foods
5. Fish Energy and Aggression Control Through Hunger
Introduction
Diet is the sustenance of life for our fish and its importance is all too often overlooked. A suitable diet leads to a longer and healthier life for the fish, and will contribute to proper growth rates, better colour, and a more ideal body shape as the fish matures. In extreme circumstances a poor diet can kill more sensitive Mbuna outright, usually through a disease known as bloat. Poor Nourishment may also impede breeding.
Four types of feeders
1. Crustacean eaters. This group primarily consists of Labidochromis varieties. They tend to dwell at greater depths in the wild, where algae levels are low or non-existent. They hunt for small critters mainly by using their laterally compressed bodies to search cracks in the rocks, and will forage the substrate for goodies. These fish need little or no roughage in their diets.
2. Omnivores (Carnivorous). Iodotropheus and Cynotilapia are the common of this group. They do well on a similar diet to the crustacean eaters, but need some roughage supplement for long term health.
3. Omnivores (Herbivorous). Most mbuna fall into this category including Pseudotropheus, Maylandia, and Melanochromis. These guys do best with a staple diet of roughage and a supplement of meatier foods.
4. Herbivores. The true herbivores of the mbuna world include Tropheops and Labeotropheus. They are best fed an exclusive diet of roughage with meat supplements fed carefully and rarely.
These different groups can be carefully combined. 1:2 is not a problem, niether is 3:4. 1:2:3 or 2:3:4 can be combined if special care is taken with feeding, while 1:4 should be avoided at the best of times.
Fresh Meaty Diet[
Fresh food provides excellent nutrition for most mbuna. Mysis, brine shrimp, bits of shrimp and krill, and insect larvae can all make excellent supplements and in some cases staples, and closely mimic natures bounty. Freeze dried foods must always be soaked first and frozen foods are best defrosted. Mbuna are not piscavores (fish eaters) so fish meat is better avoided. Worms are just the fatty, slimy food to quickly cause the fatal bloat.
Fresh Roughage Diet
Herbivorous fish consume large quantities of food in order to gain a relatively small amount of nutrition. Their digestive tracts are very long, designed to wring as much nutrition as possible out of the vegitation, and flush the rest.
Promoting algae is an ideal way to mimic the foraging behaviour and provides a very small amount of nutrition. Use high quality lighting and avoid plecos for better results. The best algae is a nice, fuzzy carpet type.
Fresh veggies are an excellent source of roughage. Leafy types including romaine and boston lettuce and spinach can be held by a food clip, and gives them something to munch on through the day. Zucchini and Cucumber are excellent for the mbuna built with scraping teeth. Other veggies like peas are easy to prepare and feed. All this roughage keeps their bowels busy, so keep filtration and maintenance in mind.
Prepared Foods
Prepared diets include pellets and flakes. They are condensed nutrition and vitamin enriched. Adjust the feeding quantities and frequency accordingly and these foods become an excellent and easy to use source of nutrition. They can be used as a staple or a supplement, but should be included to some degree to ensure a well rounded diet. Mbuna are pigs and will eat their fill of these foods in seconds.
Prepared foods come in many forms and qualities so choose wisely. A general cichlid food tends to contain everything the omnivores need to survive, and if you prefer to keep it simple and feed one type, check the ingredients and make sure of this. Foods tailored to our carnivores and herbivores let us custimize it to our needs - Spirulina flake is an excellent roughage substitute for any hervivore or omnivore. Regardless of type, aim for higher quality brands and reconsider buying bulk (the food does not go ‘off’ but it does lose nutrition over time).
Fish Energy and Aggression Control Through Hunger
Mammals are internally heated. This heating uses most its energy, and this energy constantly needs to be replaced through food. Fish are cold blooded; they waste no energy for this purpose and in turn use much, much less of it. They need much less food to survive. I'd venture to say that most aquarists tend to overfeed to some degree.
Keeping our mbuna a little on the hungry side can help with aggression levels. A fully satisfied fish will have nothing to do but harass tank mates. A hungry fish tends to spend more time searching for something to eat. Don't feel bad, fish in the wild are almost always hungry.
Through proper diet and feeding you can look forward enjoying your mbuna at maximum health and color for many years to come. Enjoy!
