Hello Friends,

Ever since I have put my new recently acquired 2" F1 mobas in the main tank they have become like hungry wolves... while they were in the QT they ate, but not as much... Now in the main tank along with a WC black calvus and a WC red fin comp... they dominate the fish double their size... they dont let the food sink till bottom and just rip off all the NLS that I give... infact my black calvus who was so aggressive towards food has gone shy..... my burundi never ate this way... another thing is I'm already feeding them thrice a day in small quantity.. yet they keep grazing the gravel looking for food and prompt me to feed a bit more every now and then so they dont pick up on dirt etc from the gravel...

Do you think its normal? or is it just the fish personality? These mobas dont seem to be that shy either from what I heard from some people about mobas in general... all I fear is they dont eat too much or dont eat the dirt.. I am already vacumming the gravel twice a week as well...

what does this all show?

Thanks for your suggestions and replies...

the zaires are the most preditory of the gibberosa's, just need to be carefull not to overfeed. I know my tanz babies would eat all day if given the chance.

My fry are far more aggressive feeders than my adults - they will eat anything and then ask for more within a short time. Resist though. Twice a day is enough - as much as they will eat in a minute or so. They can only process so much protein a day. Any extra will just increase the amount of waste in the tank. and lead to more frequent water changes.

My nangu are always on the look out for food,they have been good feeders since they were fry, ive noticed they are getting really porky now though so have reduced their feeds to once a day.

Thank you very much.. this info really helps !!!

I always love it when my frontosa attack the food. That is a good sign, and a bad sign is when the frontosa are not interested in eating. But just like the others said it is best to walk away from the table then to stuff yourself, so it is with our fish!

great.. I'll keep them hungry & eager but not starving

I don't think Zaires are any different than other types in that respect.

What I have seen, including Burundi, is a healthy front often steps up and gets more active to get food when there is more competition from other (compatible) fish.

I've also had Zaires that were in a Zaire only tank and typically more deliberate about eating get much more aggressive to make sure they get their share when moved to a community with other fish, such as moving an extra male to another tank. Even fresher water, like after a water change, can stimulate appetite ime.

In any case, young growing fish should be eager to eat when they're healthy, happy in the tank, like the food, etc. and it's just up to the owner not to overfeed.