Tropheus is a very beautiful fish, and while they make your tank colorful, raising them requires more than what you’d think. As a kind of African Cichlids, they are herbivorous fish, so what you feed them matters a lot.
You can’t feed them food high in protein or fat; else, it will affect their digestion, make them sick, or worse, they could die. Generally, Tropheus mainly gets nutrients and calories from plants, plant-based food, and herbivorous fish food.
They mostly eat aquatic plants, biofilms, and algae. However, you can spice up their meal to enjoy varieties while they stay healthy. This is why you must feed them the best food for tropheus.
What are they? Find out about the many food options for your tropheus fish!
- Algae
As a herbivorous fish, tropheus will eat algae, and you can include it as part of its diet. They contain nutrients beneficial to your fish, and since they’re vegetarian fish diets, you can feed them to your fish.
It is low in protein and rich in amino acids, which is good for your kind of fish. Here are some algae food to add to your fish diet:
You can feed Tropheus these algae wafers daily, and it won’t tamper with your fish’s growth. Instead, it sinks well and can reach fish that stay deep in the water. Also, it enhances your fish’s color and makes it even more beautiful. Even if your fish is a picky eater, it’ll eat this algae wafer.
This is a good diet for all herbivore fish, including Tropheus. It sinks well in water and can reach the fish in your tank. Additionally, it contains vitamins and nutrients that will help strengthen the immune system of your tropheus.
Another good thing is that it doesn’t change the color of the water in your aquarium. But of course, you would need to remove any uneaten food from the tank to prevent it from smelling.
You can also feed tropheus Aqueon algae because it is healthy. Moreover, it contains natural vegetable sources, which are good for your herbivorous fish. You should probably break this food before feeding your tropheus to avoid overfeeding.
- Vegetables
Fish eat vegetables, so if you are a beginner aquarist, it’s best to set the record straight. And since Tropheus is a herbivorous fish, vegetables are surely one of the best Tropheus foods.
Your African Cichlid eats the same vegetables as you, so you can share them with them. You can even feed your fish fresh frozen vegetables; it depends on you.
Aquarists freeze vegetables so they don’t decay since they can’t last much without you preserving them. When serving your fish vegetable, you need to be careful and ensure you remove the skin and seed in them, so they don’t harm them.
Some vegetable options for your tropheus include:
- Cucumber
You can feed Tropheus cucumbers whether raw or cooked. However, preferably, you should boil them to soften it for easy consumption. Ensure you peel the skin and remove excess seed from the vegetable before feeding it to your fish.
- Spinach
Another vegetable option for your Tropheus is spinach. Your fish will eat a well-prepared spinach meal and get nutrients from it.
- Carrot
Cichlids also enjoy carrots a lot, and they are also tasty. Even if humans don’t think of them as delicious, your Tropheus will eat them. You can feed them the carrot fresh or frozen in tiny chunks to aid easy chewing and digestion.
- Zucchini
You can also feed zucchini to your Tropheus. Cut the vegetable into tiny bits and give it to your fish. You can refrigerate excess and keep them for further use.
- Peas
Your fish will enjoy well-cooked soft peas. You can blend it into cubes and save it for future feeding.
- Pellets
Fish pellets are common fish food, but considering that Tropheus are herbivorous, you can’t feed them just any kind. With that said, you can feed them pellets like:
This is a healthy staple food for small cichlids and makes up a healthy balanced diet for your fish. It aids digestion and is a slowly sinking veggie food for African cichlids.
Northfin cichlid feed contains Omega-3, organic kelp, spirulina, and other nutritional ingredients. It helps to enhance fish color and ensures that your fish grows healthily.
This fish food is rich in many nutritious ingredients like peas, broccoli, tomato, kiwi, red pepper, zucchini, papaya, mango, apple, pear, seaweed, kelp, and more. It enhances your fish color and makes it healthy.
While this food is in the form of flakes, it is a good fish food for your Tropheus. It contains omega-3, biotins, vitamins, and other nutrients that’ll ensure your fish grows healthily.
- Spirulina
Spirulina makes the list of the best foods for Tropheus. It contains adequate protein for fish. In addition, it boosts fish’s immune system, helping them fight diseases and keep them healthy for a long time.
Spirulina also helps enhance the color of your Tropheus and makes them even more beautiful. Further, it helps to improve your fish digestion, which is good.
Some products you can try are:
This feed is healthy for your fish and enhances your Tropheus color. Even if your fish is a picky eater, it’ll enjoy this spirulina pellet.
This spirulina pellet is suitable for African Cichlids, including Tropheus. It contains minimal protein, fat, minerals, and fiber which are some nutrients your fish needs.
- Aquatic plants
One of the foods to feed your fish is aquatic plants. Aquatic plants in your aquarium mean your fish won’t have to stay without food for too long; they can nibble on the plant.
Also, your tropheus fish can get nutrients from the plants apart from the major meal you feed them. However, they can uproot or ruin your arranged aquarium when they feed on aquatic plants.
This is why some aquarium hobbyists go the extra mile in ensuring they use aquatic plants their fish can’t uproot. Sure, you can do that too. While some plants are not tasty to your fish, your tropheus fish can still eat them.
Here are some aquatic plants options for you:
You can easily grow anubias in your fish aquarium, and it’s not hard to maintain. If you grow it properly, your African Cichlid fish shouldn’t be able to uproot it.
You only need to plant it on a nutrient-rich substrate. Since the plant has thick leaves, your fish can’t pull it out, and they can’t eat it up quickly.
Another aquatic plant for your cichlid tank is the java fern. This plant can survive in the tank whether you float or plant it in the aquarium. This plant is not so tasty to Tropheus, so it can last a while in your aquarium, and your fish can feed on it occasionally.
Hornwort is an easy plant to maintain in your Tropheus’ tank. It doesn’t require much care, and you can leave it to float in your aquarium without planning it in the substrate, and it’ll thrive.
Tropheus won’t consume this plant in large portions because they are not delicious. However, if you plant them in a substrate, your Tropheus can uproot them, then it becomes a mess in your aquarium.
Green Cabomba is a delicate aquatic plant, so your Tropheus can uproot it in your aquarium. Therefore, you should let it float in the tank. You can also plant it in a gravel substrate if you don’t want it floating in your tank.
Java moss is a very popular aquatic plant among hobbyists, and it’s a good one to have in your aquarium. While you’re not exactly keeping them in your tank as a major food source, your fish can eat them as well. Java moss doesn’t have roots, so you can hang it around driftwoods or stones in your tank.
You can also feed your Tropheus anacharis by planting it in your tank. You can plant it in a nutrient-rich substrate or leave it floating in the tank so that your fish won’t uproot it.
This is probably the best aquatic plant to feed your Tropheus fish. This is because it rapidly reproduces and grows fast, so even if your cichlid fish eats it in large quantities, it can grow right back. You can leave it floating in your aquarium.
Conclusion
Tropheus can be extremely picky eaters, and you need to feed them the food they’ll like. However, they are more likely to adapt to the food if you feed them when they’re still young.
However, you can switch up their diet and mix things up for a balanced diet. You can feed them vegetables on some days, pellets or algae wafers on other days.
In the end, it’s up to you and how well your fish eats them. But, know that aquatic plants shouldn’t be the major fish food for Tropheus; it should just be something they can nibble on anytime.
