African cichlid
Cichlids are a family of perciform fishes.
Types and characteristics of cichlid
The family Cichlidae is large and very diverse, and is one of the most important families of fish. It includes some 2000 species, in sizes that range from ca. 3 cm (e.g. Apistogramma) to close to a meter (Boulengerochromis, Cichla), and with morphologies ranging from highly compressed (Pterophyllum, Symphysodon) to extremely elongated (Teleogramma, some Crenicichla spp.). Some notable cichlids are the angelfish, discus fish, Jack Dempsey and the oscar.
The common features of cichlids include:
Range
Cichlids are secondary freshwater fish and inhabit most of the Paleotropics (Africa) and the Neotropics (Americas south of ca. 30 deg N). Many species are found in African lakes.
Diet
Diets are also diverse: generalized predators, plankton-feeders, herbivores, piscivores, scale-eaters, paedophagus (eat other species' young).
Reproduction
All species show some form of parental care for both eggs and larvae, often extended to free-swimming young until they are several weeks old. Some species are important food fishes, and many other are valued aquarium fishes.
Cichlids as aquarium fish
During the 1960s and 70s, the lakes of the Great Rift Valley in Africa were discovered by aquarists, and the great wealth of cichlids endemic to those lakes became a goldmine of novelties for aquarists. Most popular were Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi, and many of the species from those lakes remain common in the hobby.
Aquarium cichlids are not the most peaceful aquarium residents, though behaviour varies, and so do their water quality demands and feeding habits.
The main groups of cichlids kept in aquariums
- American cichlids
- Heroines, acaras, eartheaters, and other large cichlids
- Dwarf cichlids (Apistogramma etc)
- Other (including angelfish, discus)
- African cichlids
- Rift valley cichlids
- Tilapias
- Other African cichlids
- Asian cichlids
External links
References
- Barlow, G. W. (2000). The Cichlid fishes. Cambridge MA: Perseus Publishing.
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