Welcome To My Newsletter Series. In this newsletter letter series I will provide you with information about keeping tropical fish. The information contained in the newsletter comes from my passed experiences while working with fish, conversations I've had with friends and other tropical fish lovers, as well as knowledge I gain while researching material to write the book. So as you can see that the content comes from a number of sources, which I think make for a well rounded newsletter series.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to your friends who maybe interested in tropical fish keeping as well.
CHOOSING CICHLIDS
When it comes to choosing cichlids for your freshwater fish aquarium, you will discover literally thousands of species, although some do better in an aquarium than others do. The cichlid family originates from Africa although some 400 species come from Central and South America. Included in the cichlid family is the heavy-bodied Oscar, a fish with an orange-like black spot on its tail, or the Jack Dempsey, which has blue/green spots and a big mouth. Even the freshwater angelfish falls in the cichlid family.
Most cichlids can easily grow to 12 inches or more but you could go with a dwarf cichlid, which grow to just two to three inches, while still having the unique body style and beautiful coloring. While cichlids have a number of wonderful characteristics, the most noticeable is the one spiny dorsal fin on the top of the body that stands up, and then the one, soft dorsal fin.
If you want to keep cichlids in your freshwater aquarium, it is important to understand what each species needs. Some fish, especially those from Central and South America, live naturally in jungle streams whereas those from Africa, lie in saline lakes. Therefore, the cichlids that come from Africa would need water with higher salt content. However, all cichlids need shelter, preferring caves and live plants. In addition, all cichlids require a neutral pH level and water temperature around 75 degrees.
Interestingly, cichlids have a diverse eating habit, being vegetarians, meat eaters, or meat and vegetation eaters. Even so, all cichlids can live very well on flake food as long as you provide them with an occasional insect, larvae, worm, or chopped up raw, beef heart. Just keep in mind that cichlids have a tendency of being aggressive, needing lots of room. Therefore, if you have a small tank, the cichlid, other than the dwarf species, would not be a good choice.
If you want to breed cichlids, you can. Cichlids go through spawning different from most fish. They will actually go through an intense courtship. The eggs are typically laid on the bottom of the aquarium with the male standing guard. In fact, the male will use his fins to fan the eggs, increasing oxygen flow. Once the eggs hatch, adults stay close by to provide protection for several weeks. Some cichlids are mouth brooders, whereby the female lays the eggs and then scoops them up in her mouth until they hatch.
Some of the cichlid species you might want to consider for your fish aquarium include:
I hope you enjoyed this article and look forward to the next article which looks at Breeding Freshwater Fish.
Until next time...
Katy
www.kingdomofpets.com/tropicalfish
If you are really serious about learning more about keeping tropical fish, Click Here to order my Book and DVD set. Let me guide you through it all!
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