Hikari Sinking Cichlid Gold Pellet-342g

• 40% minimum crude protein – supports muscle and colour development in actively growing and breeding cichlids.
• Astaxanthin included – a natural carotenoid that supports the red and orange tones cichlid keepers feed for.
• Sinks steadily – reaches mid-water and bottom-feeding cichlids rather than sitting on the surface.
• Two pellet sizes in one line – Mini (about 3.0–3.4 mm) and Medium (about 5.0–5.5 mm), so pellet size can match mouth size.
• Garlic included – added as a feeding stimulant for fish slow to start on a new food.

Match the pellet to the fish's mouth, not its overall length. Mini suits smaller and juvenile cichlids – dwarf cichlids, young Central and South Americans, and smaller African species. Medium suits adult mid-sized to large cichlids, including most full-grown Central American and African cichlids and juvenile oscars. Where a tank holds a mixed-size group, Mini is the safer default; larger fish will still take a mini pellet, but a medium pellet can be difficult for a small mouth to manage.

Ingredients

Fish meal, wheat bran, brewers dried yeast, flaked corn, wheat flour, corn gluten meal, fish oil, rice bran, garlic, DL-methionine, astaxanthin, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilised vitamin C), inositol, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, niacin, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, disodium phosphate, ferrous sulphate, magnesium sulphate, zinc sulphate, manganese sulphate, copper sulphate, calcium iodate, red 3, yellow 5 (artificial colours).

Hikari does not publish a separate allergen statement or country-of-manufacture declaration for this product; the ingredient list above is the complete declaration as published by the manufacturer.

Guaranteed analysis

Feed two to three times a day, an amount your fish will fully clear in a few minutes. This pellet sinks, so watch the substrate rather than the surface to judge how much is being eaten. Remove any uneaten food after each feed – cichlids are messy eaters and leftover pellets foul water quickly.

Suitable for: cichlids of all types, and larger tropical fish including oscars.

Not suitable for: fry and very small nano fish, which should start on a smaller food such as Hikari Vibra Bites Baby; and species kept on a strictly herbivorous diet, since this is a general cichlid formula rather than a spirulina-based green diet.

Keep the pouch sealed and stored in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Reseal firmly after each feed to keep moisture out and preserve the colour-enhancing pigments.

This product carries the consumer guarantees available under Australian Consumer Law. It ships as a standard parcel item – no special freight handling applies.

Does this pellet cloud the water?

No more than any high-protein sinking pellet. Feeding an amount your fish clear in a few minutes, and removing anything left over, keeps water clarity and quality stable.

Will the colour-enhancing effect work on all cichlids?

Astaxanthin supports the expression of red, orange and yellow pigments, which shows most clearly on cichlids that already carry those colours genetically. It will not turn a naturally silver or blue-based species red.

Can I mix Mini and Medium in the same tank?

Yes. Many keepers run both sizes where a tank holds cichlids of different sizes, so every fish gets a pellet it can take comfortably.

Is this food suitable for a planted cichlid tank?

Yes – it is not medicated and carries no ingredients known to harm aquarium plants.

Other Hikari cichlid diets, such as Sinking Cichlid Excel or Massivore Delite for larger predatory tankmates, for dietary variety; and a feeding ring or feeding tube for tanks with strong filtration flow that can scatter sinking pellets before fish reach them.