Feeding Cockatoo Chichlids

[MHunt]

Hey guys, this is probably not an emergency... yet.

I have just added a trio of cockatoo chichlids to my community tank.

They are really great characterful fish, but my biggest concern is that they don't appear to be eating much, if anything.

I have 5 Guppies, 11 neon tetras, and the three parrots. At feeding time, the relatively peaceful chichlids are happily swimming about at the bottom of the tank, while my other fish franticly scoff the flakes i am putting in at the top. Now some of the flakes do make it down to the lower level, the parrot's taste them sometimes, but usually spit most of it out again! They must be eating something, as they have been having good long poo's since i got them! but I just don't want them to starve.

Should i persivere with the flake in the hope that if they get hungry enough thay'll eat it anyway, all the other fish love them. Or should i try some real foods more often, I have some bloodworm packets that i feed them every week as a suppliment.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[KimA]

Hiya,

Mine loved frozen bloodworm and brineshrimp (defrosted) - fed daily on this (wasn't particularly bothered by flakes though).

Kim

 

[BigIan]

try smething other than flake such as chiclid pelets, something that sinks straight away

 

[MHunt]

Ok, complete NOOB moment there

I have a trio of dwarf cockatoo chichlids!

That said i guess the advice is the same, keep trying different foods till something works.

The male is now trying the flake more often, but still spits most of it out.

 

[Sp00ky]

i had an adult male in my goruami tank... and i made sure he was fed by putting my hand in the water near him, but not too close to scare him off and gentley waft bloodworm around him. he would gladly come out and take the bloodworm floating around him.

Couldnt get him to take it from my hand though, and hes in with 10 other cockatoo juvis now

 

[Miss Wiggle]

just make sure you get a good variety of food into the tank, try a couple of diff types of flake, pellets, sinking food like tetra prima, live food, frozen food and veggies. They'll take something! Mine never seem to eat much but they're all quite happy, still alive and growing so they must be eating something!