Livingstoni ... Pigs??

[LoJack]

I have 4 Nimbochromis Livingstoni that eat soooo much. I put enough food in the tank for everyone to eat, but the livingstoni are faster than everyone else, and they eat so much that they look like they are going to burst ... is this normal for them. I'm afraid they are going to kill themselves ... but if I don't put that much food in, no one else gets a chance to eat? Should I be worried, or is this normal?

[Theo]

What other fish are in the tank?
Typically livingstoni eat high protein food, but should eat once or twice a day, in small amounts. If the other fish aren't fast enough then yes, you'll end up with sick fish at some point I am guessing.

But it all depends on the tank mates. If you have less aggressive species, then you might want to try a smaller grain food, such as frozen brine shrimp cubes which have thawed beforehand, or fry food, or Tetra dried brine shrimp in "powdered" form which will allow some of it to reach the other tank mates. Just an idea.

[LoJack]

haha where do I begin. There is a whole bunch of everything. I've got Haps, Peacocks, fronts, Yellow Labs, Rusties, Zebra's, Borleyi, BN's, Calvus, Lelupi, Compressiceps, Ventralis ... there is a good hearty mix of everything

[Theo]

How big is the tank?

Lets see. Fronts won't eat in that mix. Neither the calvus and the comps. Zebras, Rusties, Labs, Peacocks and haps *should* be okay, but the tangs will suffer if the Livingstoni eat too fast.

I suggest you feed more often than those two times, in smaller amounts, and different food every time. New Life Spectrum might be the best case, although I would still worry for the long term care of the Fronts and the Compressiceps.

What you can do, because I am guessing you have a large tank, is to try and feed on one corner on the tank for the fast fish to feed, and drop pellets and tablets on the other side for the rest.

But in general, you should be careful with the livingstonis because they do get sick from eating too much.

[LoJack]

The tank is 150 Gallons. The other fish don't really have a problem getting food, because I do use NLS Cichlid formula, and some sinking pellet food, and frozen food. the NLS sinks and disperses really well because I have a powerful powerhead ... But the livingstoni just eat way more than their share. I mean they will distort their bodies because they eat so much, and because of their speed, I can't feed small amounts more often or they will be the only ones to eat. If I feed a large amount, at least they can't eat it all before the others get a chance to snack.

[Theo]

Well, in a 150 you should be technically okay.

I have a 200 gal, and I feed twice a day and once late at night just before I go to bed, which is typically after midnight (the last feeding happens when the lights have been off for quite some time, and most fish other than the nocturnal fish I have are asleep), but I always feed first in one side, and as soon as the fast fish go there, i feed on the other side. The fast fish I have in the tank stay and eat the food I fed the first time, the others get their share from the other side.

Other than that, I don't know what you can do. Once or twice a day should be okay for most fish you have, especially if they are large juveniles to sub-adults to adults. One of the thing you can do is try and feed large pellets for the livingstoni first, or large krill, and then feed the rest of the fish their own food. My venustus used to hold a large pellet or krill in his mouth and chew for a while, while the rest of the fish ate, maybe it'll do the same to yours too.

[bloogle18]

you should be fine lojack, umm but if you see a decrease coloration or personallity from your other fish i would reccomend a tank divider...put it like at right the end, and seperatly feed them and take it out after your done, it might be alot to do for just feeding. but it might be better for your fish helf in the end. i did it with my 55

[ocdreamin]

My Livingstoni is just short of 4" in a 15H. Until a few weeks ago it had 4 other "assorted africans" slightly smaller and a 2.5" daffodil and .75" brichardi. I think they all got their fill. I fed mostly NLS cich. My N. Liv. is the 'particularly dumb' one in the tank and doesn't always notice food, but if he does, he's on it. He likes to pick food off the top if it's there, so I just get the pellets to break the surface and head downward. If I can tell he's being an extra big pig that day, I toss him a big freeze dried krill which doesn't completely fit in his mouth, then I feed everyone else. So unless you and I have unusual Livingstoni, yes it's normal.

[SGypsyMermaid]

vc-10's(placidochromis milomo) are piggy like that, too.