Bolivian Ram Food Advice

[mark4785]

Last sunday I visited a LFS and picked up one Bolivian Ram and the advice given their was to provide it with sinking pellets. After acclimatising it to the tank it seemed to take an interest in Tetra Tabimin pellets that the Cory's like. 
 
Is this the best food that a Bolivian will eat? I know that the term 'Complete Food' is on the Tetra Tabimin products but there's virtually no vitamin C in the pellets according to the label. The main thing, beyond this, that I wanted to point out is that it is hard to see if the fish is actually eating the Tabimin pellet (i'm used to watching my Koi explicitly gobble down 3mm pellets) because it will put it in its mouth and spit out some bits (hopefully the sand and not the food).
 
Any recommendations for a nutritionally better manufactured food for a Bolivian Ram would be appreciated.

 

[Fishmanic]

I have a bolivian ram and use cichlid mini-pellets..  Like you I notice they take it in and then spit it out.  I also feed all my fish ground up flake food--some drops to the bottom of the tank and the cichlids hunt through the gravel and I think they find bits and pieces.   They also like algae wafers that I originally got for my pleco who seems to ignore them.   I also drop in some blood worms which the cichlids may or may not be eating. They must be eating because they seem healthy after a week of introducing them to the tank.

 

[mark4785]

I have a bolivian ram and use cichlid mini-pellets..  Like you I notice they take it in and then spit it out.  I also feed all my fish ground up flake food--some drops to the bottom of the tank and the cichlids hunt through the gravel and I think they find bits and pieces.   They also like algae wafers that I originally got for my pleco who seems to ignore them.   I also drop in some blood worms which the cichlids may or may not be eating. They must be eating because they seem healthy after a week of introducing them to the tank.

 
Thank you for the recommendations. I'll see if I can get it to eat algae wafers; mine are manufactured by Tetra, so again, no vitamin C

 

[mark4785]

I've now tried algae wafers, Tetra tabimin, flake food and small Nutrafin pellets and have noticed that the Bolivian Ram is just spitting the food out. I've even soaked some of these foods in a Seachem Garlic Guard solution and it's still spitting the food out. The pelvic fins of the Bolivian are also clamped. Perhaps its also a little on the thin side.
 
I'm not sure what I'm dealing with here, perhaps an internal bacterial infection?

 

[frapadoodle]

I feed a variety. Frozen bloodworms once a week, a treat for having to put up with tank cleaning.
Flakes of various sorts. Mini cichlid pellets, the angels prefer them. Betta pellets, and betta flake. One betta won't eat it all. And shrimp pellets. That is a feeding frenzy. I have to add enough for the corys, rams, and angels.

What size tank do you have? Stock? Decor?
The little booger may be stressed.