Feeding and Nutrition :: Cichlids- ok to eat?

[reptilegrrl]

Tony at the turtle ranch offered me some cichlids to put in the pond. He says they are very hardy and breed like crazy. If Al catches a cichlid, is it ok for him to eat it? I can't think of a reason they would necessarily be bad, but I'm not a fish person.

[sonyj]

I'm not sure. I'm guessing it would be like giving him any other fish. Hopefully someone else will know for sure.

[knite]

Yea, they are probably okay to eat once in a while because they are freshwater fish. I'm not sure about the thiamanese or whatever it is they have.

What kind of cichlids did the person gave you? I heard that convicts are the easiest to breed because they are such aggressive (territorial) parents. Good luck with them nonetheless.

[reptilegrrl]

I didn't bring them home yet- he had several different colors of cichlids. I know they weren't Oscars, but I don't know much about fish.

[QuanMan]

No, they're an extremly boney fish.

[reptilegrrl]

Thanks, QuanMan I'm glad I didn't bring them home.

Instead I have some mosquito fish, and they are thriving. My turtle basically ignores them. I am going to add some large goldfish in the next couple of weeks.

[MMC32879]

I bought some cichlids a few weeks ago. They only lasted about a day before they were all eaten. The turtles are fine and I haven't noticed anything bad from them eating them. They were very small though.

[cprcheetah]

I would be very careful with Cichlids...they are a very aggressive fish, and may bite at your turtle and cause sores.