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Is it OK too feed my electric yellows/blues bloodworms?
Thanks.

I suggest that you feed them once or twice a week only. I heard that daily Bloodworms can bloat Malawi's.


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Thanks Jason

Yes, it's ok to feed them, but as jason said do it sparingly...too much of a good thing will bloat them up, and make them well miserable...be sure to supplement them with fresh veggies as well they will appreciate it, or if you have a tank that seems to grow plants out the wazzooo, don't chunk the snippings, just toss them into the tank with your cichlids they will make short work of them

heidi

oh ps for an added treat on occassionskip the blood worms that week and add some of the small live cricketsjust make sure to hold the lid down after you've added them

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

i would highly recommened not too its too risky bloat will wipe out mbuna brime shrimp is better and only a small amount every two weeks at most

when you say you have electric blues do you mean scianochromis freyeri or melanochromis auratus?

that will make a difference. the auratus are mainly herbivors and i would not recommend feeding them brine shrimp. yes, they may be able to handle it is small doses. if you think you can control yourself and only feed a very small amount, ok. is it worth it? brine shrimp have no nutritional value whatsoever.
what do you mainly feed right now?
i have successfully fed my herbivore mbuna new life spectrum pellets. it is packed with algae for the herbivores, but is also packed with good, digestible protein for growth and health. if you decide to go with nls (and i hope you will) add the nls slowly to their diet. if the fish arent used to it, it may cause problems. i never had problems feeding it to my most finicy fish.
as for the yellow labs (electic yellows) you can feed them practically anything. they are natural omnivores and i regularly feed mine krill, mysis shrimp, peas, spinach and NLS pellets.
there are very few mbuna that are strictly herbivores. i cant really think of any that will not do good with NLS. i am nota NLS rep or anything. i have been using it for a long time and have yet to find any processed food that rivals it in quality. my fish are awesome.
as for blood worms, i would not risk feeding those. the quality is wishy washy from different brands. they are actually mosquito larva and they have hairy bodies with hooks in them that some fish may have a hard time swallowing and digesting if not fed correctly. just my opinion. good luck.

In my opinion bloodworms are not a good idea,they are to much protien for most cichlids which is why brine shrimp are suggested by most cichlid keepers as they are a lesser protein source (especially if you keep a variety of herbiverous fish and fish that will eat small invertabrates whilst scavanging in the wild.)

Gibson SG you know you want one!!

Ive yet to have Mbuna get bloat. Never fed bloodworms more than 1 every 2 weeks. Mysis shrimp 1 time a week. I agree with ACEI as with NLS you really need nothin else. But I've never heard an Auratus called an electric blue, as they are yellow/black/white depending on mood. If your electric blues are AHLIs(Haps) they can handle a bit more protein than the EL's.

Acei I have written that food's name down. That is a FANTASTIC post. Thank you so much for your post and also to James747 for asking.



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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

thanks for the advice, I'll keep clear of the bloodworms.

If i may add....

Electric Yellows are Omnivores there for bloodworms are not to risky. If given 1-2 times bi-weekly.
Their diet should be mainly veggie matter but they can handle a bit of protien.

If you have Haps Ahli's you should give them lots of high protien foods as their Carnivores.

With Mbuna, being as most are Herbivores Bloodworms are typically a bad idea. But The Mbuna that are Omnivores can handle a bit of protien...

good luck with the fish!!!