am i underfeeding my fish.....?

Question

they pick at the plastic plants all day , there's some algae on them and i think they are getting bits of that but is that normal? they are cichlids. i have had them for about three years and they all seem healthy but i think its weird that they are always scavenging. i feed them twice a day ,enough for them to eat for a few minutes , theres really no left over at all by the time there done. is that enough? is it better to feed them pellets rather then flakes? i have them on flakes because there used to be alot of small one but now there all pretty big so maybe they should have pellets?

Answer 1

You're doing fine. I always believe in not overfeeding. In the wild fishes also to not get to eat till their fill. Thats why a fish in the wild only does two things, constantly searching for food and reproduction.

Convert to pellet if you think they big enough to handle it.

It's also good that your fishes are helping you control the algae. Once algae gets out of control you will have problem. Moreover some algae in the diet of the fishes should be good for them.

Answer 2

Feed them a variety of foods like the frozen brine shrimp or blood worms. I feed my cichlids every morning with the pellet type and a frozen choice. Be sure the flake food you use is high in proteins, usually the percentage is on the box somewhere. This will keep your fish staying healthier and colorful. You are not under feeding your fish. 35yr exp

Answer 3

If these fish are Mbuna,Malawian Rock Fish, the scraping is the natural way for them to feed,and nothing is out of order. And no,your are not underfeeding. Look up "aufwuchs" it's the word the German discoverers of these fish gave to the stuff that they eat from the Rocks in Lake Malawi.

Answer 4

there is one thing you should now by now about cichlids and its that they are ALWAYS hungry. twice a day is perfect. cichlids will always be seen searching the gravel for food and picking at the plants. you have nothing to worry about, you are doing just fine.