Are you looking for a wonderful breed of fish to add to your aquarium? African Cichlids are a tropical fresh water species and they are quite popular for use in home tanks today. Why is this? They have amazing and brilliant colors, making them a great addition to any underwater habitat! Not only are they beautiful to look at, they live much longer than most fish suitable for aquariums. They can live up to eight years with the proper care, and they are fairly easy to maintain as well.
African Cichlids are curious too, and they love to stay active! Yet, you need a bit of education to make the right choice when at the store, to ensure the best outcome with your new fish. To help you in this endeavor, let's examine African Cichlids in more detail below.
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| African cichlid aquarium (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Interesting Qualities
African Cichlids are found in many lakes in Africa, the foremost being Lake Victoria, Tanginika and Malawi. They display a fascinating specialization, and are thought to be the most colorful fish which are freshwater in origin. These lively fish can have intricate behavior patterns, and can sometimes be aggressive. This is especially true if they are in a group, and it is best to feed them often if this is the case. Why is this? It gives them something else to focus upon, and will keep them otherwise occupied. How many feedings per day is appropriate? You can feed African Cichlids up to four times per day if necessary, to keep their fighting at bay. If they are more docile in nature, you can feed them less often.
The reason this tactic works so well, is that food is sometimes scarce in their natural habitat. African Cichlids live in large schools in the wild, and they must fight each other for any food which they obtain. By feeding them often throughout the day, you'll eliminate this source of conflict, by providing them with an abundant food source.
Another way to reduce their aggressive tendencies, is to buy fish that are nearly the same size. With this type of approach, no fish will feel that they have a clear advantage over the others, and more peaceful interaction will develop naturally. If you buy one African Cichlid which is much bigger than the other fish, they will try to dominate the rest, causing problems in your aquarium.
African Cichlids are usually on the move as well, and will provide you with endless hours of entertainment! They love to explore their environment, and will be interested in any decorations in your aquarium. They'll also be curious about the other fish in your tank as well, and often times they will even dig in the substrate to stay busy.
Experienced Care Needed For African Cichlids
For all of these reasons and more, this species is a great addition to any tank, yet some care should be taken. They are not really suitable if you're just starting out, as it can take some research and experience to have the best outcome. In fact, these fish are part of a large subset which includes about six hundred other species, and each one has its own specific needs! The variations can run the gamut from small behavior differences, to special food requirements. As you can see, you shouldn't buy these fish if you haven't prepared to care for them beforehand.
Other potential issues to be aware of, are their breeding habits as well. If you want to produce offspring, you should be aware that African Cichlids can be hard to mate. Incompatibility is a common problem, and these fish can often get into fights instead of breeding. It is best to add one fish at a time, to ensure the most harmonious atmosphere possible. This will also help you to balance the nitrogen levels in your tank as well, keeping it well below the danger zone.
However, once successful mating takes place, African Cichlids are wonderful parents! They will keep their young safe and well cared for, and they stay around even after the eggs have hatched. This is in contrast to some other species, which leave their eggs to fend for themselves. In fact, African Cichlids have even been known to care for one another's eggs when in the wild, displaying remarkably strong social behavior.
Other Considerations
While there may be some variation in their needs, all African Cichlids require a large tank to do well. Also, water which is quite basic on the pH scale is best for them, and will give them conditions which most closely mimic those found in their natural habitat. If you are at a loss for how to do this, add some crushed coral to your aquarium, which will work to promote a base environment.
Also, there are now hybrid species available, which cross African Cichlids with other varieties of fish. While these may be interesting, and boast unique characteristics, there are several drawbacks as well. They may not be as resilient as fish with a pure genetic strain, meaning they may be harder to care for. Also, their behavior may be a bit more erratic, as you don't know which species traits they will display most dominantly.
Conclusion
Though African Cichlids can require some extra measures of care, they are well worth the effort! If you are a novice when it comes to aquariums, you should wait until you have more experience. Yet, if you have some knowledge in this area, these fish are a wonderful addition for your tank! With their high energy and curious nature, they'll always give you something to watch with interest. They may hide behind your decorations, or even burrow into the sand or gravel at the bottom of the aquarium. If you have any problems with aggressive behavior, just remember to feed them often. With this simple strategy in mind, you can often eliminate any issues with ease, and go back to having a peaceable tank in no time at all.
With their brilliant colors, African Cichlids will add new hues and tones to your aquatic environment as well. They have a reputation for being intelligent, and they can be quite loyal as well. If they do have little ones, they make excellent parents too. So, for all of these reasons, you are sure to love this species of fish, and will enjoy having them in your tank for many years to come!
Having had fish tanks for over ten years, enjoying freshwater tropical fish, I now decided to write about my experiences on FreshwaterTropicalFish.org
Article Source: EzineArticles
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