Cichlid fish

A fascinating class of freshwater fish, cichlids are distinguished by their vivid hues, unusual habits, and variety of species. Cichlids provide an exciting and fulfilling hobby for all fishkeepers, experienced or not. These fish can infuse life and personality into any aquarium due to their diverse range of shapes, sizes, and temperaments.

The adaptability of cichlids to diverse environments is one of their most amazing traits. Cichlids live in a variety of environments, from the serene waters of South America to the stony shores of Africa’s Great Lakes. Because of their versatility, they are a well-liked option for aquarium hobbyists who want to design a vibrant and eye-catching tank.

Although cichlids are prized for their beauty, it’s vital to realize that, particularly when they’re breeding, they can be territorial and occasionally aggressive. However, you can enjoy the fascinating world of cichlid fish in your own home with the right setup, care, and understanding of their natural behaviors.

Species Key Characteristics
Angelfish Graceful, triangular bodies with long fins; peaceful but can be territorial
Oscars Large, intelligent, known for their strong personalities; require a spacious tank
Discus Vibrant colors and round bodies; sensitive to water conditions
Convict Cichlids Easy to care for; known for their breeding habits and striped patterns
Frontosa Distinctive hump on the head; slow-growing, prefers deep tanks

Description

The family Cichlidae includes cichlid fish. Males typically have a fat pad on their head, well-developed fins, and are larger and brighter than females. Eggs are incubated in the mouth or laid on a substrate (pot, tube, stone). Fry swim in 5–10 days in the first instance, and 14–40 days in the second. Fish, territorial and omnivorous.

Cichlid fish maintenance

Numerous American cichlid species are captured in the wild in the Amazon, Orinoco, and other locations, where they subsequently attempt to procreate. Among them are species of varying sizes that inhabit waters with varying compositions. South American rivers and lakes typically contain three types of fresh water: transparent, "white," and "black."

The pure water of rivers running through brilliant white quartz sand found in rainforests is known as transparent water. It typically has a mildly acidic active reaction (pH between 5 and 6) and is soft (dH between 5 and 8 °). This is why "white" water appears so striking—a whitish suspension carried by strong streams. The reaction is either neutral (pH 7) or slightly alkaline (pH ranging from 8 to 9), and it is also soft.

The term "black" water refers to water that has a high organic matter concentration and is colored dark brown. Rio Negro is an egregious illustration. The river’s water is extremely soft (dH ranging from 0 to 4°) and acidic (pH between 3 and 5). Researching the reservoirs in Central America, it was found that, in contrast to the waters of South America, the water there is hard (dH ranging from 16 to 30 °), somewhat alkaline, and occasionally brackish.

It was discovered that African ichthyofauna lake representatives could coexist peacefully in an aquarium with Central American cichlid fish because of their comparable sizes and temperaments. Water’s qualities are ideal for them. In the southern states of the USA, some species of American cichlids can be found even further north. They inhabit water with a chemical makeup that is not all that dissimilar from that of water in Central America.

The two most common cichlid fish kept by aquarists are angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) and parrots (Pelicachromis pulcher). It’s important to choose the aquarium’s shape and volume in accordance with the kind and size of the fish. For instance, cichlid fish can be kept in a low aquarium where they will feel quite at ease if they have an elongated, low body. A parrot aquarium should have a capacity of at least 50 liters.

Angelfish and discus, on the other hand, like high aquariums because of their high disc-shaped bodies. Considering the population, an aquarium with a capacity of 100 liters is needed, with one liter of water for every one centimeter of fish length. Remember that cichlid fish have higher water quality requirements than many other fish, so the general rule should be to perform frequent water changes—at least 15-20% per week.

Feeding

There is no need to feed cichlid fish anything special because they are not picky eaters. They do well on dry food, such as daphnia and gammarus, as well as industrially produced artificial food. But feeding the fish grated beef or pork heart instead of "crackers" is always healthier.

Making this dish is simple: just chop the film, cartilage, and fat from frozen beef or pork hearts, place the pieces in plastic bags, and freeze. Remove them from the refrigerator if needed, grate them using a kitchen grater, and feed the fish. See the publication "Beef Heart Fish Food" for additional details on feeding fish with beef heart.

Bloodworms, corethra, daphnia, and tubifex are examples of live food that should be included in the essential and irreplaceable foods for cichlid fish. If obtaining such food is not possible, you can feed the fish chopped or small earthworms. Read the article "Earthworms fish food" to learn how to cut an earthworm properly.

Compatibility

Fish that are cichlids are typically aggressive only in the breeding season. They mark out their territory at this point, and swimming into it is strictly forbidden for outsiders. It is best to keep cichlids in large aquariums because, as is natural, the living quarters of their neighbors will be somewhat reduced. This can be inconvenient for the entire population of the aquarium.

It is not logical to house multiple male parrot cichlids in the same aquarium. Even though the aquarium may be fairly large and roomy, only one male emerges as the leader, driving the other males into the plant thickets where they must hide.

Along with scalars and parrots, peaceful small-cichlid fish like swordtails, mollies, pecilia, gourami, danio-rerio, tarakatum catfish, corydoras, and other peaceful species that prefer similar temperatures are also good candidates for cohabitation.

Cichlid fish are a popular choice for aquarium enthusiasts because they are a diverse and colorful group recognized for their lively personalities and distinctive behaviors. Their intelligence and variety of species offer endless possibilities for creating dynamic and engaging aquatic environments, even though they can be territorial and require special care. With their vibrant interactions and breathtaking looks, cichlids can enliven and excite any aquarium, regardless of experience level.

Cichlid diseases

Although cichlid fish are quite robust, illness can arise from poor maintenance. A disease outbreak cannot be prevented, not even in a moderately populated aquarium with clean water and complete quarantine control. The causes of these outbreaks can include inadequate nutrition and disregard for the temperature regime (in this case, hypothermia).

Fish louse, or ichthyophthirius, is the most prevalent disease. accompanied by fish scratching the bottom and fin compression. A white coating in the shape of tiny grains (semolina) covers the body and fins. The disease’s causative agent is a parasite that lives on fish equilibrary ciliates. Although parasitic ciliates can be found in practically any aquarium, they typically harm fish that have compromised immune systems.

Saprolegniosis is another common illness that can be brought on by inadequate fish maintenance. The affected area develops a fungus that looks like a piece of cotton wool stuck in place. Every sick fish needs to receive immediate medical attention until they fully recover. The article "Treatment of aquarium fish with bicillin" contains instructions on how to heal sick fish.

How to avoid diseases

Knowing the species of cichlid fish is important when purchasing them. Regarding preferences for nutrition, getting along with other fish, temperature, and the acidity and hardness of the water. It is preferable to keep rare and expensive fish in a separate aquarium, such as discus, which require flawlessly clean water.

As is well known, the majority of illnesses have a direct correlation with the immune system, which is influenced by eating a healthy diet. The conclusion is that cichlid fish will not be as healthy as fish that are fed live food on a regular basis if they are not given it for an extended period of time. Live food is what gives them their essential amino acids.

Notes: Please take note that we are discussing supplemental feeding here, not feeding at will. I use Daphnia moina to feed my fish. I feed them once a day, at lunch in the morning and once at night. The benefits of such nutrition are readily apparent: the fish never exhibit dystrophic symptoms, they grow back quickly, they are consistently joyful and content, and their fins are neat and straight.

I bought fish that are still in quarantine recently and feed Daphnia moina to fry. Live food has a sedative effect on young fish. Since almost all fish are susceptible to moina, daphnia helps fish that are stressed. On the "Fish food Daphnia" page, you can order Daphnia moina for home breeding.

Reproduction and care of offspring

When the eggs appear, care should be taken. Cichlid fish exercise extreme caution when selecting a location for their future clutch (parrots can have artificial shelters such as caves, cichlazomas can be made of stones, snags, etc.), then they meticulously clean the area before laying their eggs.

Notes: Choosing the right producers is essential for successful cichlid fish breeding. It is generally impossible to purchase excellent producers. There may already be elderly and unsuitable for breeding birds in the bird market, and a recently grown young in the pet store. How is it to be? The best course of action in this case would be to buy young fish in the range of five to six and raise them on complete living feeds until they reach sexual maturity.

Caviar is cared for by cichlid fish, followed by larvae and fry. In order to bring in fresh water, parents constantly fan the clutch with fins and remove any dead eggs.

Notes: I used a small ceramic teapot on its side to create a cave for my parrot cichlid babies when I was breeding them. This type of shelter is highly preferred by the parrots, who quickly take a liking to it and lay their eggs in it.

As if counting, the cichlid fish gather the emerging larvae carefully in their mouths and arrange them in a single pile. When the fry begin to swim, the parents ensure that they stay under their body at all times and only move as a flock. Such an image is very similar to a hen with chickens from the exterior.

Notes: Since cichlid fish can lose all of their offspring in a single night in a shared aquarium with the lights off, it is best to breed cichlids in separate aquariums. In order to safeguard the fry in a standard aquarium, the lighting must be kept on for an extended period of time, until the fry reach adulthood.

It should be noted that cichlid fish feel much calmer in a separate aquarium; this makes sense, as there are no irritants present that could harm their fry. The ideal setup is for a large, specifically designated aquarium to serve as both an early aquarium and a spawning ground.

Starting food

The tiniest plankton, such as Kolovratka, shoe ciliates, Naupuplisa Daphni Moin, and Artemy, are suitable as a first meal. Applying these feeds as heavily as possible is ideal because "living dust" has a higher nutritional content.

In the event that this isn’t feasible, fry crustaceans in Moin or Artemy. It’s important to keep an eye on whether there are always enough fries being fed. View more information about the different feeds under the "Food for fish" category.

Notes: A special leather secret found on their parents’ bodies can be used to feed scales and discus fry. It should be mentioned that it is pointless to try to raise fries on the dry food that the industry suggests.

Food for adolescent fry

It is best to move mature fry to larger live food. Small bloodworms, chopped corethra, tubifex, and daphnia are a few examples of such a complete food.

Notes: Daphnia moina is a general-purpose food. If grown crustaceans are a good choice for starting food, then grown fry can also be fed grown crustaceans. Adult cichlid fish, such as parrot cichlid fish, also eagerly consume moina.

Compared to other varieties of daphnia, daphnia moina has a lower nutritional value. Because moina is so simple to raise at home, aquarists and fish breeders can truly consider this food to be a blessing. My publication "Buy Daphnia Eggs" offers daphnia moina breeding for home breeding.

Some types of famous cichlids

It is well known that only brown and blue discus are used in the breeding of all selective discus breeds. All of the current color variations are members of the same species and are descended from blue and brown.

S. a. axelrodi is the brown discus. River Amazon. reaches a maximum growth of 20 cm. Tank for sprouting: 80 x 40 x 40, pH 6.5, dH 4°, t 29° C. Up to 400 pieces of eggs in total.

Symphysodon aequifasciata, green discus (selection object), aequifasciata. Peruvian homeland. reaches a maximum growth of 30 cm. Tank for sprouting: 120 x 45 x 45, pH 6.5, dH 2°, t 29° C. There are between 250 and 500 eggs total.

Amazon River blue discus (S. a. Haraldi). reaches a maximum growth of 20 cm. Tank for sprouting: 80 x 40 x 40, pH 6.5, dH 4°, t 29° C. Caviar up to 400 pieces in number.

A fascinating and varied group of freshwater species, cichlid fish have distinct personalities and habits. They are a well-liked option among aquarium enthusiasts because of their striking colors, lively personalities, and fascinating social structures.

Maintaining cichlids can be a fulfilling endeavor, but it calls for a thorough comprehension of their unique requirements. When kept in conditions that closely resemble their natural habitats, these fish flourish. Ensuring the health and happiness of your tank mates requires paying close attention to their diet, water quality, and tank mates.

Cichlids are an interesting and stimulating addition to any aquarium, regardless of your attraction to their eye-catching appearance or their sophisticated behavior. These amazing fish can live long, fulfilling lives and add color and life to your underwater environment if given the right care and attention.

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Elena Grishina

Ecologist and aquarist with a special interest in creating balanced ecosystems in aquariums. Main focus — ecosystems that require minimal human intervention. I support a natural approach to aquarium care, where each element plays its role, helping to maintain harmony in a closed ecosystem. I promote sustainable aquarium keeping and respect for nature.

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