Can African Cichlids Eat Feeder Fish?

The African Great Lakes contain more cichlids than anywhere else on Earth. A huge variety of cichlids come from these lakes, including many that survive on a diet of fish. However, feeding live fish have serious drawbacks -- like disease risks -- outweighing any benefits over alternatives.

  1. Predatory Haps

    • The predatory haps are the main group of fish-eating African cichlids. Other piscivorous African cichlids have similar care. The name "haps" came from the former genus Haplochromis. Though most have been reclassified into other genera, aquarium hobbyists still use the name since the fish have similar requirements. These fish feed on other African cichlids in the wild and will readily eat feeder fish in the home aquarium, though they will readily eat other meaty foods. For example, you can feed grocery store seafood or live feeder shrimp from the local pet shop.

    Drawbacks

    • Feeding live foods to your African cichlids can have several drawbacks. For example, feeding live fish may increase aggression in species already notorious for their pugnacity. Additionally, many pet shops keep feeder fish in overcrowded conditions, encouraging disease and poor health of the feeders. Unhealthy feeders provide poor nutrition and can introduce disease to your expensive cichlids. No African cichlid needs a diet of live fish to survive; they will all accept other meaty foods. Grocery store seafood cannot pass on diseases. Additionally, many non-fish live foods such as feeder shrimp and blackworms have a much lower risk of passing on disease -- especially if they're not housed with live fish at the pet shop.

    How to Feed Feeders

    • If you want to feed your African cichlids feeder fish despite the drawbacks of the practice, take steps to make it go as smooth as possible. To avoid diseases, you should raise your own feeders. Livebearers like guppies work well since they reproduce and grow quickly. Before feeding livebearers to your fish, feed them rich vegetable foods like Spirulina flakes to make them more nutritious.

    Feeders to Avoid

    • While all pet shop feeders are a bad idea due to overcrowding, several are particularly bad choices. Many pet shops sell minnows and goldfish. These fish come from temperate climates. This means they can act as carriers for diseases to which tropical fish like African cichlids have no immunity. On top of this, they are high in fat, so a steady diet of them will cause damaging fatty buildup in the livers of predatory fish. If you need another reason not to feed your cichlid these fish, their flesh contains an enzyme called thiaminase. This enzyme breaks down various forms of vitamin B, causing deficiencies in any fish who eat them, which can cause nerve, skin and liver problems.