Cyanoguttatus vs Carpintis

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BTW - I also feed aquatic plant matter to my fish - in the form of NLS AlgaeMax. Good stuff.
 
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RD. said:
If it was me, I'd shoot for the 180, vs a 125. I have kept both sunfish (longears) and H. carpinitis, but not both in a 125. I would expect aggression issues as the fish sexually mature.

GTS - I got your point, I just totally disagree with you. In commercial operations feed costs are a major part of the overhead. It's ridiculous to think that catfish farm feed is on the same level of some of todays foods marketed for the pet industry. And Conkel's opinion is just that, an opinion. Fiber is a non nutrient, and in an aquarium setting the more fiber that you add to the diet, the more waste is created from that non nutrient filler. From a recent post of mine in another discussion.

I've always been of the belief that feeding fish is part art, and part science. The art portion comes with time, and experience. Some learn early on with regards to correct methods, types, and amounts to feed, others never do.

I have always found the science part quite fascinating, and while I agree that one should always start with comparing what's in our glass tanks with what takes place in the wild, we have learned through science that many species, especially among the cichlid group, are very adaptive, with very plastic gastrointestinal systems. So plastic that some cichlids not only adapt (such as drastically shortened intestines) in captivity, but also do so in the wild during seasonal weather changes. Most cichlids lead a life of feast or famine dictated by the rainy/dry season. So while a diet of 25% fiber may be typical in the wild, at least during certain times of the year, in captivity 5-10% may be more than adequate. In fact, I have bred and raised numerous species of fish classified as strict herbivores, on a diet that was 5% crude fiber - and never once experienced dietary issues among the fish. Those fish still consumed shells/chitin as part of their diet, but with a more nutrient dense diet I could feed less overall, and less often, compared to their diet in the wild.

So other than with small fry or very small juveniles, my focus has never been on the frequency of feeding, but more so on the quality of the food, and the quantity being fed.
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I happen to think Conkel’s opinion has a strong empirical basis, especially when you take the stomach contents of wild fish into account. Though it is just an opinion, Conkel isn’t infallible by any means. So we have a disagreement, which is fine, Cichlids are adaptable enough to allow for such leeway.
 
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In the wild fish eat what they can, when they can. Stomach content typically changes throughout the season, due to seasonal shifts on what's available. feast/famine
 
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GTS said:
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I only bought up the topic because the OP mentioned it in an earlier post, it’s pecuilar that you would say that it doesn’t matter in this post when the OP specifically asked a question about the diet of his fish.
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I'm not arguing about food. I just think opinions shouldnt be presented as facts. Don isn't the end all be all. If you would like to present us with a cost vs nutrition analysis on commercial feed vs say omega or NLS I would like to see it.

Personally I like NLS & omega one. I do like to mix veggies with fish like carpintis, but they've done just fine on regular. I've seen plenty of fish brought on hikari that have done fine as well. I just thought the above was best for my needs.
 
The gut analysis for parachromis dovii had about 5% detritus/plant material depending on the size, Petenia splendida had even less, Astatheros robertsoni had very little being made up all most completely of snails and shrimp, vieja maculicauda had 20% plant/detritus I always assumed it would be a lot higher %. As has already been stated these diets could change seasonally due to availability. From the limited information I have seen I think its wrong to make sweeping statements that all heroine cichlids have 20% plant/detritus in there diets.
 
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dan518 said:
The gut analysis for parachromis dovii had about 5% detritus/plant material depending on the size, Petenia splendida had even less, Astatheros robertsoni had very little being made up all most completely of snails and shrimp, vieja maculicauda had 20% plant/detritus I always assumed it would be a lot higher %. As has already been stated these diets could change seasonally due to availability. From the limited information I have seen I think its wrong to make sweeping statements that all heroine cichlids have 20% plant/detritus in there diets.
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Salvini too and they are supposed to be piscivores.
I wonder if some of the plant matter found is from the way they feed. By swallowing prey whole creates a vacuum.
 
dan518 said:
The gut analysis for parachromis dovii had about 5% detritus/plant material depending on the size, Petenia splendida had even less, Astatheros robertsoni had very little being made up all most completely of snails and shrimp, vieja maculicauda had 20% plant/detritus I always assumed it would be a lot higher %. As has already been stated these diets could change seasonally due to availability. From the limited information I have seen I think its wrong to make sweeping statements that all heroine cichlids have 20% plant/detritus in there diets.
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15% to 20% percent is what Conkel found. I think his overall feeling was that the amount of detritus/fiber is higher in the wild than it was in the aquarium, his preference would be for it to be higher in the aquarium. I looked at my original statement, I never stated that all heroine cichlids have a 20% plant diet, I also said that he found that percentage in the stomachs of the fish that he sampled. He casts a wide net, but I don't think he meant the statement to be a comprehensive iron law for all cichlids. The percentage would almost certainly be higher in carpintis than it would be in Dovii.
 
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