Feeding my apisto.

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Bdoggy

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I just bought an apisto cacatuoidi male. He's not full grown. Probably 1.5"... The only thing I can get him to eat so far, are frozen blood worms. I also tried freeze dried mysis shrimp and bug bite flakes. He mouthed the shrimp and spit it out... What do you guys feed your apisto's?
Thanks,
 
Watch him. He chews by spitting, as he passes food over the roof of his mouth.
Right.. thing is, the gourami was right there when he spit it... She's like, THANK YOU!..lol I'll keep trying freeze dried stuff. Maybe he'll catch on.
 
I would not feed freeze dried foods. These are very dry, and need to be thoroughly soaked or they will be eaten and then expand inside the fish, causing serious digestive issues. This is one reason why fresh frozen is better. But bloodworms are hazardous if fed solely, so I would wean the fish off these ASAP. And that means, do not feed them for a few weeks, and preferably not again at least until much, much later. Frozen shrimp and frozen daphnia might be better accepted. But another point to remember is that these fish are substrate feeders. They might eat flake if it has fallen to the substrate, but usually other fish get it by that time. Sinking foods are better, and Fluval Bug Bites is the best for this. Upper fish will also eat these obviously, so you may have to bee inventive to get some down to the cichlid. But bug bites are whole soldier fly larvae, and insects and insect larvae is the primary food of just about all carnivorous and omnivorous fish. These will sink fairly quicklly, what I do is add a limited amount and immediate stir them and they tend to sink as a curtain. My cories were fed this predominantly, and the loaches.
 
I would not feed freeze dried foods. These are very dry, and need to be thoroughly soaked or they will be eaten and then expand inside the fish, causing serious digestive issues. This is one reason why fresh frozen is better. But bloodworms are hazardous if fed solely, so I would wean the fish off these ASAP. And that means, do not feed them for a few weeks, and preferably not again at least until much, much later. Frozen shrimp and frozen daphnia might be better accepted. But another point to remember is that these fish are substrate feeders. They might eat flake if it has fallen to the substrate, but usually other fish get it by that time. Sinking foods are better, and Fluval Bug Bites is the best for this. Upper fish will also eat these obviously, so you may have to bee inventive to get some down to the cichlid. But bug bites are whole soldier fly larvae, and insects and insect larvae is the primary food of just about all carnivorous and omnivorous fish. These will sink fairly quicklly, what I do is add a limited amount and immediate stir them and they tend to sink as a curtain. My cories were fed this predominantly, and the loaches.
I have frozen brine shrimp. I just read the misis shrimp label and it does say to presoak them... That's my bad, thanks for the info.
 
He seems to be eating everything now. Flake, sinking pellets etc.. thing is, he just seems to be a slow eater. He takes in a flake and chews on it for a while. By the time he's had 2-3 flakes, the other fish have eaten everything. He has a bigger mouth, so maybe I can get larger cichlid pellets for him?... Idk
 
Most Apistogramma cichlids won't take dry or freeze dried foods, but they will accept a wide range of frozen and live foods.
 

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