Dowolna żywa i mrożona żywność, z wyjątkiem czerwonych larw komarów / ochotek, będzie dobra. Różnorodność jest kluczowa.
W moim doświadczeniu pokarmy wzmacniające kolor nigdy nie działały. Najbardziej prawdopodobne jest to, że rozwiną czerwonawe mięso.
Oczywiście światło ma duży wpływ, podobnie jak substancje humusowe w wodzie. Pewne kolory światła po prostu odfiltrują pewne kolory. Jedyne, co zawsze pozostaje takie samo, to odblaskowe skale, które świecą na niebiesko/zielono jak paski neonu.
You can, <"astaxanthin (carotenoid) enhances red coloration"> in Apistogramma spp. in the same way that it does for Salmon (Salmo salar) and Flamingo (Phoenicopteridae) spp.I doubt you can enhance colour with food at all.
Agreed.Also environment; lighting, substrate colour, ...
But you are aware, that in Salmon just the meat is taking up colouration and in Flamingos the feathers grow with that colouration and won't change after that until the next moulting? In Apistogramma and other Cichlids chromatophores have massive influence on the colour.You can, <"astaxanthin (carotenoid) enhances red coloration"> in Apistogramma spp. in the same way that it does for Salmon (Salmo salar) and Flamingo (Phoenicopteridae) spp.
I have found for some of my larger cicihlds that carotenoid have a big influence on the amount of orange/red showing. However i have never intentionally fed anything with carotenoid to dwarf cichild and won't comment there. As a rule i don't intentionally feed a particular mineral or substance for colour but rather i try to feed things that will keep the fish healthy. That is not to claim that things as carotenoid is bad for fishes (i eat enough of the stuff as i love carrots); but i do not have any data to suggest it helps or hurts the health of fishes.But you are aware, that in Salmon just the meat is taking up colouration and in Flamingos the feathers grow with that colouration and won't change after that until the next moulting? In Apistogramma and other Cichlids chromatophores have massive influence on the colour.
When still breeding Malawi cichlids colour enhancement with food has shown minimal effect. *shrug* Sceptical about it.
Same.but rather i try to feed things that will keep the fish healthy. That is not to claim that things as carotenoid is bad for fishes
hi MacZ, my two get live tubifex, daphnia, moina (which i cultivate myself) and frozen foods as well for diversity. Now i did try bloodworms but funnily enough not many of my fish like them. I was also about to ask this very same question on what is the best foods for them and am really interested why red mosquito larvae and bloodworm were an exception on your list of foods. Are they harmful? Or just not a natural food source?Any live and frozen food except red mosquito larvae / bloodworms will do. Diversity is key.
First of all, both names are synonymous. They are the larvae of chironomid midges/mosquitos.red mosquito larvae and bloodworm
We still do not know what exactly is the problem, but feeding those to dwarf cichlids in particular has caused a lot of fatalities. The theories that are not yet disproven range from a protein poisoning, to an intolerance of something in them to the simple fact that they are very often produced cheap in contaminated water and handled without care when frozen, leading to some kind of food poisoning. The theory of barbs on the larvae causing inner bleeding has been disproven, they don't have any, and white mosquito larvae (aka glassworms) which indeed have barbs, can be fed without worries.Are they harmful?
They are technically a natural food source, certain chironomid larvae make up a high percentage of the food of fish in South America. This makes it all the more puzzling how so many cases of dead captive dwarf cichlids can be traced back to feeding them.Or just not a natural food source?
Thank you for your detailed response, it is appreciated. Bloodworms definitely off the menu for good. as you say it could a mixture if reasons, difficulty in digesting hemoglobin or just poor quality / not fresh.First of all, both names are synonymous. They are the larvae of chironomid midges/mosquitos.
We still do not know what exactly is the problem, but feeding those to dwarf cichlids in particular has caused a lot of fatalities. The theories that are not yet disproven range from a protein poisoning, to an intolerance of something in them to the simple fact that they are very often produced cheap in contaminated water and handled without care when frozen, leading to some kind of food poisoning. The theory of barbs on the larvae causing inner bleeding has been disproven, they don't have any, and white mosquito larvae (aka glassworms) which indeed have barbs, can be fed without worries.
On top there are people that never had any problems feeding them, either because they collect them themselves, buy high quality or simply blissfully ignore the connection.
Bottom line: Most people avoid feeding them to dwarf cichlids and there are voices from the betta community that say they are experiencing similar problems.
They are technically a natural food source, certain chironomid larvae make up a high percentage of the food of fish in South America. This makes it all the more puzzling how so many cases of dead captive dwarf cichlids can be traced back to feeding them.
One more question, is this something that we should be giving or does variety of quality food suffice. I am a bit loathe to put any additives in the water if its not beneficial to / necessary for my residents.Oh, and about vitamins: The small bottles from JBL (Atvitol) or Sera or any other manufacturer will do. The mixtures are all more or less identical. A few drops with a feeding of frozen food per week suffice completely.
Diversity, freshness, quality. Usually all you need. You can add Vitamins. There are vitamin drops, that only need a handful of drops to be added to a portion of frozen food once a week.One more question, is this something that we should be giving or does variety of quality food suffice. I am a bit loathe to put any additives in the water if its not beneficial to / necessary for my residents.