MacZ
- #1
Lately a lot of people come here and ask what cichlids need. And it's always the same thing: People don't know what the word means and assume it's a species.
So, inspired by a similar thread I'm trying to deconstruct the complex group called cichlids.
Cichlids are a taxonomical family of fish. With about 1700 different described species they are the third-biggest family of freshwater fish in the world. They have developed a broad variation depending on their natural habitat and man has added to this by breeding effort, in some cases even developing hybrid-species. In the wild biotopes can vary massively. Creeks, Rivers, Lakes of all kind are their habitat. From blackwater pools in the Amazon Rainforest and rainforest river systems in South and Central America, to desert creeks and rivers in Mexico. From the vast African Riftlakes and even near boiling hot alcaline water in some central African Lakes, to the Congo Basin reaching from slow rainforest creeks to the mighty Congo River with its rapids.
This variety is the reason why no cichlid tank is like the other and why a lot of cichlids from different habitats can not be kept together.
Now this makes for a great variety in the Aquarium Hobby as well.
Long established groups and species in the hobby are cichlids and some people don't even know. This is a small overview of the most often kept species by different categories.
Classics and a category for themselves are Angelfish and Discusfish. They come from South America, mainly from the Amazon River system. They need soft and acidic water and like it rather warm.
Another category are dwarf cichlids. Is every dwarf cichlid like the other? Sadly no. The term denotes just one thing: Size. They stay small, ranging from merely 2'' to 4-5''.
The most well known examples come from South America: The German Blue Ram and Bolivian Ram, Apistogramma and checkerboard cichlids, aswell as Nannacara and the like. Common among these is a peferrence for acidic water and being plant safe. German Blue Rams stick out because of there preference for warmer water.
In Africa there are several groups of dwarf cichlids from different biotopes. There are species from West and Central African river systems, as well as from the Rift Lakes.
Examples from West and Central Africa include: Pelvicachromis (known as kribs), African Butterfly Cichlids, smaller species of Juwel Cichlids.
Examples from the Rift Lakes include: Shelldwellers of Lake Tanganyika like Neolamprologus, Altolamprologus, Telmatochromis and Lamprologus.
A very special subgroup is the genus Steatocranus, that lives in the rapids of the Congo River.
Other Cichlids from the Americas can reach sizes from just bigger than a dwarf cichlid to real monster fish. From relatively peaceful (but most often big) fish like Eartheaters, Uaru and Vieja, that show most aggression within their species, to midsized aggressive species like the Convict Cichlid to big and massive carnivores like Parachromis dovii, Jaguar Cichlids and Peacock Bass (despite the name the biggest cichlids of them all).
Africa's variety is big as well.
In most waters in Africa various kinds of Tilapia are numerous. From the Nile to the Okawango these fish represent a good portion of freshwater fish biomass.
West African rivers are also inhabited by another midsized group: The often very aggressive Jewel Cichlids.
Each of the Big Lakes in East Africa has very characteristic cichlids:
Lake Malawi has two main groups, distinguished by their main diet or habitat: Mbuna eat algae and aufwuchs from rocks and live among them, while Utaka (including Haps and Peacocks) prefer more open water and live on a diet of smaller fish, crustaceans, insect larvae and the like. Haps can also include sandsifters and deep water species.
These fish have all in common that they are mouthbrooders, meaning the eggs are vertilized and then kept and protected in the mouth of the mother. Another commonplace is Aggression. Mbuna can be counted among the most aggressive fish in the aquarium trade. Generally the colourfulness of Lake MalawI cichlids can always take on saltwater fish.
Typical genuses are: Pseudotropheus, Labeotropheus, Maylandia, Cynotilapia, Melanochromis, Labidochromis (Mbuna), Aulonocara (peacocks), Haplochromis, Cyrtocara, Copadichromis.
Lake Tanganyika on the other hand has less colour, but more variety in forms. Still the lake, like Lake Malawi, also has distinct groups of Aufwuchseaters (Tropheini), predators, open water species (Cyprichromis), sandsifters (Xenotilapia) and shelldwellers, all having their own niche. The aufwuchseaters are from the group of TropheinI with the most well known genuses being Tropheus and Petrochromis. The majority of the others is mostly from the Lamprologini-tribe. Exceptions of notice would be: Cyphotilapia (big but slowmoving deep water predators) and Ophthamlotilapia (open water near rocks).
Lake Victoria is home mostly to highly endangered cichlids of the HaplochrominI tribe. The Lake Victoria cichlids, while studied a lot scientifically as examples of quick evolution are rare in the aquarium hobby and definitely something for specialists or enthusiasts. There are some countries that have banned import of wild caught fish, as the lake is facing ecological disaster for years now, thanks to the introduction of nile perch and the fact that the lake is in the process of slowly drying out.
So, what's with the aggression?
Cichlids are often aggressive fish. Ones has to distinct between aggression within the species and aggression in general.
A lot of "peaceful" cichlids can be very harsh among each other while leaving other fish alone mostly. With those aggression is only a problem with too many conspecifics in the tank. E.g. Angelfish should be kept in groups for this reason until pairs form. Same goes for German Blue Rams.
Then there is species that are territorial towards everything, that enters their territory. Those fish will attack any fish entering their territory (often around a cave), but will leave everything outside that territory (including same species) alone. Jewel Cichlids or a lot of Centralamericans like Parachromis doviI fall into this catergory. They should be kept in species tanks.
And then there are generally aggressive species, that fight everything they can't eat, chase away or intimidate. Most Rift Lake species but also a lot of SA and CA species are in this group. In those cases it helps to slightly overstock so aggression gets diluted. Also except some bigger and hardy catfish there is not much compatibility with other fish, so they are by no means to be kept in community tanks.
So, inspired by a similar thread I'm trying to deconstruct the complex group called cichlids.
Cichlids are a taxonomical family of fish. With about 1700 different described species they are the third-biggest family of freshwater fish in the world. They have developed a broad variation depending on their natural habitat and man has added to this by breeding effort, in some cases even developing hybrid-species. In the wild biotopes can vary massively. Creeks, Rivers, Lakes of all kind are their habitat. From blackwater pools in the Amazon Rainforest and rainforest river systems in South and Central America, to desert creeks and rivers in Mexico. From the vast African Riftlakes and even near boiling hot alcaline water in some central African Lakes, to the Congo Basin reaching from slow rainforest creeks to the mighty Congo River with its rapids.
This variety is the reason why no cichlid tank is like the other and why a lot of cichlids from different habitats can not be kept together.
Now this makes for a great variety in the Aquarium Hobby as well.
Long established groups and species in the hobby are cichlids and some people don't even know. This is a small overview of the most often kept species by different categories.
Classics and a category for themselves are Angelfish and Discusfish. They come from South America, mainly from the Amazon River system. They need soft and acidic water and like it rather warm.
Another category are dwarf cichlids. Is every dwarf cichlid like the other? Sadly no. The term denotes just one thing: Size. They stay small, ranging from merely 2'' to 4-5''.
The most well known examples come from South America: The German Blue Ram and Bolivian Ram, Apistogramma and checkerboard cichlids, aswell as Nannacara and the like. Common among these is a peferrence for acidic water and being plant safe. German Blue Rams stick out because of there preference for warmer water.
In Africa there are several groups of dwarf cichlids from different biotopes. There are species from West and Central African river systems, as well as from the Rift Lakes.
Examples from West and Central Africa include: Pelvicachromis (known as kribs), African Butterfly Cichlids, smaller species of Juwel Cichlids.
Examples from the Rift Lakes include: Shelldwellers of Lake Tanganyika like Neolamprologus, Altolamprologus, Telmatochromis and Lamprologus.
A very special subgroup is the genus Steatocranus, that lives in the rapids of the Congo River.
Other Cichlids from the Americas can reach sizes from just bigger than a dwarf cichlid to real monster fish. From relatively peaceful (but most often big) fish like Eartheaters, Uaru and Vieja, that show most aggression within their species, to midsized aggressive species like the Convict Cichlid to big and massive carnivores like Parachromis dovii, Jaguar Cichlids and Peacock Bass (despite the name the biggest cichlids of them all).
Africa's variety is big as well.
In most waters in Africa various kinds of Tilapia are numerous. From the Nile to the Okawango these fish represent a good portion of freshwater fish biomass.
West African rivers are also inhabited by another midsized group: The often very aggressive Jewel Cichlids.
Each of the Big Lakes in East Africa has very characteristic cichlids:
Lake Malawi has two main groups, distinguished by their main diet or habitat: Mbuna eat algae and aufwuchs from rocks and live among them, while Utaka (including Haps and Peacocks) prefer more open water and live on a diet of smaller fish, crustaceans, insect larvae and the like. Haps can also include sandsifters and deep water species.
These fish have all in common that they are mouthbrooders, meaning the eggs are vertilized and then kept and protected in the mouth of the mother. Another commonplace is Aggression. Mbuna can be counted among the most aggressive fish in the aquarium trade. Generally the colourfulness of Lake MalawI cichlids can always take on saltwater fish.
Typical genuses are: Pseudotropheus, Labeotropheus, Maylandia, Cynotilapia, Melanochromis, Labidochromis (Mbuna), Aulonocara (peacocks), Haplochromis, Cyrtocara, Copadichromis.
Lake Tanganyika on the other hand has less colour, but more variety in forms. Still the lake, like Lake Malawi, also has distinct groups of Aufwuchseaters (Tropheini), predators, open water species (Cyprichromis), sandsifters (Xenotilapia) and shelldwellers, all having their own niche. The aufwuchseaters are from the group of TropheinI with the most well known genuses being Tropheus and Petrochromis. The majority of the others is mostly from the Lamprologini-tribe. Exceptions of notice would be: Cyphotilapia (big but slowmoving deep water predators) and Ophthamlotilapia (open water near rocks).
Lake Victoria is home mostly to highly endangered cichlids of the HaplochrominI tribe. The Lake Victoria cichlids, while studied a lot scientifically as examples of quick evolution are rare in the aquarium hobby and definitely something for specialists or enthusiasts. There are some countries that have banned import of wild caught fish, as the lake is facing ecological disaster for years now, thanks to the introduction of nile perch and the fact that the lake is in the process of slowly drying out.
So, what's with the aggression?
Cichlids are often aggressive fish. Ones has to distinct between aggression within the species and aggression in general.
A lot of "peaceful" cichlids can be very harsh among each other while leaving other fish alone mostly. With those aggression is only a problem with too many conspecifics in the tank. E.g. Angelfish should be kept in groups for this reason until pairs form. Same goes for German Blue Rams.
Then there is species that are territorial towards everything, that enters their territory. Those fish will attack any fish entering their territory (often around a cave), but will leave everything outside that territory (including same species) alone. Jewel Cichlids or a lot of Centralamericans like Parachromis doviI fall into this catergory. They should be kept in species tanks.
And then there are generally aggressive species, that fight everything they can't eat, chase away or intimidate. Most Rift Lake species but also a lot of SA and CA species are in this group. In those cases it helps to slightly overstock so aggression gets diluted. Also except some bigger and hardy catfish there is not much compatibility with other fish, so they are by no means to be kept in community tanks.