What Do I Feed Cichlid Fry?

Knowing what to feed cichlid fry can be confusing if you have never raised cichlids or if you are trying to raise other aquarium fish for the first time. This can be a very exciting time for the new aquarist, or the seasoned hobbyist, so I am going to give you a few pointers.

There are basically two types of brooding that you will find with cichlids. These types are mouth brooding and open brooding. Yes, there are variations of these two types of brooding, but breaking them down into two types will do for now. We are interested in what to feed these cichlid fry once they are basically free swimming.

The yolk sac is the main source of food for newly hatched cichlid fry, but it will be depleted after a few days or so. After the yolk sac is gone, they will become free swimming and will need food if you want them to survive. Freshly hatched brine shrimp are a great food for free swimming cichlid fry.

Yep, they make an excellent food for all types of baby fish, but if you don’t have any brine shrimp readily available and hatched, what do you do?

How about feeding cichlid fry hard boiled egg yolks. Bet you have never heard of that one before. Just take a small amount of the egg yolk and combine it will a little bit of water. Don’t make a soup out of it. You are after more of a paste like consistency.

Be sure not to put too much of this food in the tank at a time. If you put too much of the egg yolk in the water, it could cause the water to foul. Try to put just enough in the tank that they will consume in about 30 seconds or so.

One way to control how much of the egg yolk you are putting in the tank is to use a straw to lower it into the tank. Put your finger of the hole in the straw and release it just above where they are swimming.

Visit cichlid fry to learn what to feed cichlid fry. And visit keeping cichlids to keep your cichlids happy and healthy.