Cichlids

Cichlids are part of the family Cichlidae and are extremely popular in tropical aquariums. They are generally boistrous freshwater fish that show bright colours and are very active.

There are 2 main types of cichlid communities that fish owners select: Malawi or Central/South American cichlids.

MALAWI CICHLIDS

The popular selection of cichlid community, Malawi and Tanganyikan cichlids are mainly found in Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika in Africa. They have brilliant colours, interesting behaviour and are very easy to look after. Their natural environment consists of bare rocks and coarse sand substrate – the majority of malawi cichlids are herbivores so live plants are not recommended.

• The larger the aquarium you can afford the better, malawi cichlids can reach large sizes and will even out aggression.
• Place large rocks/decoration into your tank before you add your sand/gravel.
• Try to aim for a pH between 7.0 – 8.5.
• Keep temperatures between 23 and 28 degrees Celsuis.
• Have a powerful filtration unit, cichlids create a lot of faecal matter and tanks are generally overstocked to dull down aggression.

CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICAN CICHLIDS

The most common trait of central and south American cichlids is their formidable size, with most reaching at least 30cm. A large aquarium is recommended when intending to house these cichids. As well as their size, they are extremely terrortorial.

• The larger the aquarium the better, Central and South American cichlids generally reach up to 30cm, and their tank mates will need to be the same size to avoid aggression. A tank of at least 4 foot will house one or two central american cichlids.
• They are very powerful cichlids, have a cover on heaters and a top on your tank.
• Tanks are best furnished with bogwood and large round rocks – they can dig and move small rocks and substrate around.