This cichlid is a predator that mostly feeds on small invertebrates,[1] but also will take fish fry,[2] tiny fish up to about half the size of the A. flaviijosephi itself and aquatic vegetation.[3] Adult males mostly eat freshwater snails, while females mostly eat insects and their larvae (especially chironomids), worms and amphipods.[2][5] This difference in diet is also reflected in differences in the teeth of the sexes.[5]