Good Food For Malawi's ?

I need help what to feed my Mbunas. Yes if done alot of research, but where can I buy these foods?

I'm feeding them spirulina flakes that I got from the breeder, but I want to give them a diet that is healthy.
Or is the flakes good enough? They also get a cucumber about ones a week.

They breeder told me not to give them Cichlid pellets bought from the LFS, something about high protein can kill them is this correct.

If also seen people feed sea weed to malawi's is this good food?

Any advise will help.

 

Hi Rickus

Spirulina flakes are good and should be sufficient in my opinion. What I've done is gone and made some of AD Konnings recipes out of his book and my malawi's really seem to like it. Alot of food granula foods contain a high amount of protein which could cause malawi bloat.

Hows the lighting in your tank? My mbuna's eat alot of algae off the rocks and its really lekker watching them. In the natural enviroment the algae growth on rocks would be the natural diet.

 

Can feed the baby marrows and cabbage as well, used to feed it to mine few years ago and had them breeding quite often.

 

I feed my mbuna Omega One super veg pellets and they are breeding quite frequently

 

I have Malawi food that I am happy to swap it if any one is keen

 

Thank you

1x 30w(plant, green) + 1x 25w Red light in each tank. There is a lot of algae on the rocks and on the glass( I dont like the algae on the glass)

Will do, thanx

Where can I buy these?

THANX, this explains alot!

Please pm me, the type of food then we can maybe make a plan...

 

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/feeding_african_cichlids.php

Check the above link out.

 

Hi

Home made food vs Shop bought:
I have 2 cocktails I prep and freeze in ice-cube bags:

1/3 soup dry peas (cooked to just beyond soft - not mushy), 1/3 grated baby marrow, 1/3 prawns / brine shrimp

then the other one:

1/3 blanched broccoli, 1/3 grated baby marrow / lettuce (no spinage!), 1/3 prawns / brine shrimp

Blend with some tank water to a mushy paste, freeze in ice-cube bags... Pop 'n Feed...

Someone suggested adding garlic as it is full of vits and very healthy - have not tried it, does anyone know about this?

Then also have some pellets for the mbuna and will be getting some from the breeder for the new juvi's that arrives this weekend.

Cooking for fish now too - LOL...

Enjoy

 

Same here... I just use frozen peas.

Also as a treat I have a 50L bin with a powerhead standing in the sun... The base filled with white garden pebbles, a proper water level and wondergro plant ferts. A few days down the line you have nice long strands of green algae clinging to the pebbles. Dump the pebbles in the tank and watch them feast away

 

When i9 had my malawis i would make a mixture of food for them. I would take OX heart, Peas removed out of the jacket and fresh mussels. I would blend all of it together and then freeze it in small ice trays. They would go crazy for this. The only problem is it does make the water a bit cloudy because of the OX heart but if you have a few bottom feeders this shouldnt be a problem. Otherwise twice a week would be great with your regular water changes

 

I also read that land animal products not good for the fish - they cannot turn the animal fat into energy and it cloggs their systems...

 

Appart from that... They can't digest it properly and they get constipated which also causes it's own problems

 

For Mbuna I would stick to Spirulina. Added advantage is that it contains phycocyanin which will enhance the blue colouration found in many mbuna. Adding some food with carotenoid pigments will help enhance your orange and yellow coloured mbuna. I feed my saulosi and cyaneorhabdos maingano spirulina and then let them graze on lettuce, spinach, cucumber and carrot (They love Cos lettuce the most by FAR). I find that they are more chilled in the tank when they have veg to graze on and I accordingly allow them to graze quite a lot.

 

One more thing re Ox heart... Spirulina contains up to 70% protein so there is really no need to feed mammalian protein sources.

 

Agree wit boomslang. to much protein will cause bloat. Fresh lettuce and cucumber, veggie flake and even Tetra bits do the work for me. As you know - you need to monitor overfeeding

 

Hi all,

These are two great recipies. Just need spinach and loads of garlic paste to be added.

You can also cut pieces of qucumber and drop it in. They will eat it just as is.
Scotty

 

Tetra Pro vege, Sera Granugreen are two brilliant alternative foods to use.