Pet Forum / Aquaria / Cichlids / July 2004

I have a newly set up 55 gallon mbuna tank. Currently, the tank houses
4 demasoni, 4 maylandia estherae, and 3 labidochromis caeruleus. The
demasonis are all about 1/2-1" long. They are juveniles and pretty
shy.

My problem is that whenever I feed the fish, the estherae and the
yellow labs snap it up before the demasoni can get a chance to eat.
The demasoni do try to come to the surface to get to the flake food
but they shy away before all the other fish hungrily snapping up the
food. Sinking food near their territories doesn't seem to work, nor
does sinking vegetables like zucchini or peas. Can someone help me
ensure the demasonis get some food at least?

Thanks,
satyen