Making homemade cichlid food is relatively simple. You’ll need a couple of ingredients. The easiest to find is beef heart, but you can also use fish protein, earthworms, spinach, or any combination of these. Once these ingredients are mixed together, freeze them in a zip-lock bag to keep them fresh. An average hobbyist can feed their Cichlid for months with this amount of food.
Contents
Beef heart
You can make your own cichlid foods from beef heart, which is very lean and rich in vitamins. Most fish, however, need it to be processed, so you can either cut it up and serve it to your fish in chunks or blend it into a frozen formula. White fish, on the other hand, can be easily bought and offered in strips or slices to predatory fish.
There are many recipes for this type of food on the internet, and many Discus breeders swear by it. A recipe from Rocky Mountain Discus is also available online. When making your own discus food, make sure to purchase organic beef and steer that has not been given antibiotics or hormones. Then, simply combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. For best results, mix the ingredients together in a large bowl and serve immediately.
Fish protein
Fish are very important in a cichlid’s diet. They have long intestines and need foods rich in vitamins. Fish food should be provided at least twice a week. Feeding too often or too little will result in bloat and your cichlid not spawning. The ideal diet should consist of at least forty percent protein, two to eight percent crude fat, and two percent fiber.
Most freshwater fish are not true carnivores, but they do need a certain amount of meat in their diet. While carnivorous fish need 75% meat and 25% vegetables, the majority of freshwater fish are solid omnivores. As a result, homemade cichlid food is a mix of different recipes. For example, you can blend white fish with fish protein to create a frozen food formula for larger predators.
Earthworms
Earthworms are easy to rear and produce high-quality, nutritious food for your tropical fish. You can buy mealworms at pet stores or buy them from an aquarist. To produce your own mealworms, plant scraps and eggs can be placed between sterilized sacking in a shady spot. You can then harvest your mealworms by hand. They will eventually grow into a black beetle and pupa, so keep them out of direct sunlight.
To create a worm bin, you can use untreated wood or purchase one in a plastic container. Construction plans can be found online, or you can purchase a worm bin manufactured by a company. If you don’t feel comfortable building your own worm bin, you can purchase a plastic storage bin and cover it with a tight-fitting lid. Make sure the plastic bin is dark-colored and rinsed well to remove any manufacturing residues. The size of the worm bin depends on the amount of household food waste you throw away.
Spinach
If you want to learn how to make homemade cichlid food with a plant that your fish loves, consider spinach. This food is high in nutrients and can help your fish get all of their daily vitamins. If you want to try something new, you can cook the spinach in your own kitchen. It is best to use spinach that comes from your local grocery store, as this will support your local farmer. Although spinach is an ugly vegetable, your fish will love it.
Begin by cooking a few tablespoons of spinach until it is soft and wilted. You can use frozen spinach if you wish, but fresh is always better. Using a food processor or handheld mixer, blend the spinach to a smooth paste. Add agar, a vegetarian gelling agent made from seaweed, if you wish. This product can be found in many forms, including sachets, so you can purchase it in a pinch.
Seaweed
You can use seaweed as a natural supplement to a flake or pelleted food. Cichlids are carnivorous fish, so feeding them the correct diet is vital for their health and color. When choosing the correct food for your cichlids, make sure to select a product with a high-quality composition, containing no more than forty percent crude protein and two to eight percent crude fat. Spirulina powder is also available at health food stores, though you have to make sure to buy pure Spirulina for your fish.
Once the mix is hardened, you can cut it into convenient sized pieces, and freeze it. The mixture will remain hard for several months, so it is recommended that you keep this frozen form for the optimum freshness of your cichlid’s food supply. Ideally, you should use frozen seaweed as a dry-bulk supplement. Seaweed is a very natural source of protein and other nutrients, so it is perfect for feeding your fish.
Spirulina
Spirulina is an extremely nutritious blue-green algae. It is one of the oldest cultivated species, dating back to the ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures. It grows naturally in lakes like Lake Malawi. Many health-conscious individuals consume spirulina supplements for its high vitamin content. The same nutritional benefits can be gained from using Spirulina for homemade cichlid food.
Spirulina is an excellent dietary supplement for cichlids. The algae powder is packed with plant proteins, which are essential for the health of your cichlid. Citrus fruits are also good choices for your cichlid’s diet. Orange juice and pulp are loaded with a variety of vitamins and minerals that are great for fish. Garlic, meanwhile, stimulates the appetite and helps prevent internal parasites.
