With cichlids it depends on the species for feeding, if its malawi cichlids they are primarily veggie eaters and too much protein in a low quality food can give them bloat and kill them.
For my malawi's I mix a diet of veggies, spirulla, and a color enhanced food from OSI, I just rotate out on feedings. They get a "treat" once a week of mosquito larvae.
With the other cichlids, of different parts of the world you can get by w/ the meaty foods if they like meaty foods.
For the substrate the africans do well with the crushed coral, it hardens the water, gives it minerals, and raises the
pH. They love to dig in it as well.
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Good luck!
