The Cichlid: An Owner'S Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish

By Mary E. Sweeney

Cichlids are often described as "fish with personality." A favorite of many hobbyists, members of this family include the ubiquitous Angelfish, the colorful Firemouth Cichlid, and the much sought-after Discus and Oscar. Cichlids includes tips on caring for, breeding, and setting up and maintaining a tank. It also presents a thorough overview of the many varieties of Cichlids. It is the perfect resource for the beginner hobbyist, but it is also an essential addition to the library of any expert breeder or keeper.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: May 5, 2008
• ISBN: 9780470370957

Book preview

part one

chapter 1

What

Is a

              Cichlid?

The family Cichlidae contains more than 1,200 species, and these fishes are called cichlids (pronounced sick-lids). The majority of the cichlid species are found in tropical Africa, and about 200 species are in Central and South America. One genus, Etroplus, is found in parts of Asia.

Cichlids are highly evolved freshwater fishes with origins in marine fishes such as damselfish, wrasses and surfperch. These ancient links with the sea permit them to live in a wide variety of water conditions, including salt content and water hardness. Cichlids can live in waters ranging from extremely hard and alkaline, as do the African rift lake cichlids, to soft and acidic, as in the case of the South American discus, angelfish and others.

Cichlids originated from marine fishes such as the Damselfish (Neoglyphidodon oxyodon).

Fishkeepers Love Cichlids

Cichlids are the most popular of all the aquarium fishes, partly because there are so many species to choose from. But when you also factor in their vivacious personalities, interesting behavior and considerable good looks, it’s no mystery why people are so fascinated with cichlids.

Keeping these ever-popular cichlids is not without some challenges, however. Many have horrible reputations for aggression, predation and general destructiveness. Once you understand the nature of your cichlid, though, you can make accommodations for its behavior. Much of the aggression exhibited by these fish is related to their extraordinary spawning and parental behaviors, and the sight of a pair of cichlids in breeding color leading a large, healthy spawn makes any special attention required well worth the effort.

Cichlid Characteristics

What exactly is a cichlid? It’s often impossible to determine from appearance alone whether a fish is a cichlid. Many fishes that look like they could be cichlids actually belong to other unrelated families. The North American sunfishes, Lepomis spp., for example, are shaped like some cichlids and have a cichlid look but actually are members of the family Centrarchidae.

Cichlids are placed in the family Cichlidae by ichthyologists—scientists who study fishes—because of their evolutionary history. In appearance, cichlids are small- to medium-sized fish, although they’re among the largest fishes kept in aquariums. Their bodies are generally perch-like, but some cichlids, such as the angelfish, are anything but perch-like. Some features are universal among all cichlids: (1) pharyngeal jaws that assist in processing food; (2) one pair of nostrils; (3) a single dorsal fin with hard fin rays in the front; and (4) at least three hard rays in the anal fin. Most cichlids also have a two-part lateral line, which is a row of small holes that runs from behind the eye back along the body of the fish.

COMMON CICHLID TRAITS

The cichlid family is large, and it is difficult to identify a member of the family based solely on appearance. Nonetheless, all cichlids have a few physical attributes in common: pharyngeal jaws for processing food, one pair of nostrils, a single dorsal fin with hard fin rays in the front and a minimum of three hard rays in the anal fin.

CARING FOR THE YOUNG

Cichlids are renowned for the care of their young. All cichlids are egglayers, and most lay their eggs on some sort of surface as opposed to scattering them in the water and then abandoning them, as do so many of the egglayers.

There are many breeding styles among cichlids, but parental care is a major feature of their behavior. Whether the particular species lays its eggs in a cave or on a plant leaf, all cichlids remain with the eggs, guard them until they hatch and then care for the young until they are able to fend for themselves (up to a point!). It is actually this extraordinary parental care that causes so much mayhem in the cichlid aquarium.

Most cichlids have an elongated body; angelfish are an exception to this rule.

Cichlids are very aggressive in defense of their breeding territories, eggs and fry, and there isn’t much that can be done about this except to remove all other fishes from the tank.

Some cichlids, like angelfish, are open breeders, which means they lay their eggs on a vertical surface and guard them until they hatch. In the aquarium, angelfish may eat their eggs, the wriggling fry or the free-swimming fry, but in the wild, they tend to take better care of their young. Usually, whenever a cichlid eats its young, it’s because there is either the need to spawn again or some threat to the fry—from other fish in the tank to poor rearing conditions. It’s generally considered abnormal for a cichlid to eat its young, unlike many of the livebearers that are highly cannibalistic and routinely consume the young if they can catch them. Cichlid fry trust their parents and view them as the protectors they usually are.

UNDERSTANDING SCIENTIFIC NAMES

Taxonomy is the science of classifying plants and animals. A branch of taxonomy, known as nomenclature, is the naming of living things. All animals, fish included, are given Latin names that appear in italic type. The first name is the genus of the animal. The second is the species name. If one is referring to an entire genus of fish, it is customary to write the genus name followed by the designation sp for species, or ssp for subspecies.

Cichlids are known for their parental care.

Cave breeders lay their eggs in a sheltered place, such as the inside of a flowerpot. Many of the dwarf cichlids choose this method of protecting their eggs. It’s very interesting to watch a female guarding the entrance to the cave while the eggs are developing. Then, one day, you will see the female emerge with a swarm of fry swimming close to her—a most beautiful sight!

Mouthbrooders, like mbuna, pick up the eggs after they have been laid and carry them in their mouths until the fry are free-swimming. You can tell that a female cichlid is holding eggs in her mouth because you can see the little eyes through her cheeks. Her mouth will bulge with fry until one day they are released to hover close to her. When danger threatens, Mom opens her mouth, and all the fry rush to the safety of her buccal cavity.

These are just a few examples of how cichlids breed. Some are monogamous and remain together as couples for long periods of time. Others are polygamists, or harem breeders, where one male makes the rounds of several females. Whichever type of cichlid you keep, you can be sure of one thing—it’s never boring!

chapter 2

Cichlid Behavior

in the

Aquarium

Behavior is a large part of what makes cichlids such intriguing aquarium pets. No other kind of fish demonstrates the action and interaction of cichlids. Some are bold. Some are smart. Some are powerful. But none are dull. There is a wide range of mannerisms in cichlids, and there are ways to cope with some of the antisocial behaviors.

Not all cichlids pester their tankmates, but it would be a real disservice to both the fish and the aquarist to pretend that aggression doesn’t occur. Many cichlid species are exceptionally aggressive, frequently driven by mating instincts. Reproductive strategies figure prominently in cichlid behavior (although they aren’t the only forces at work). Other times, cichlids are dangerous to tankmates simply because they view them as food, which is a natural mistake. Remember, though, that there are many cichlids, and each type has its own strengths and weaknesses. (Behaviors of different cichlids are addressed in part three.) Not all cichlids shred plants or break equipment or try to make a meal of the pretty fish you bought to keep them company.

Aggressive Behaviors

TANK BEATERS

Slam! Uh-oh. The Oscar is beating up the filter again. Sometimes it seems as though your fish is determined to break every ornament, heater and filter in the tank. It literally trashes the tank every time your back is turned. (Yes, some cichlids will wait until you aren’t looking to do their dirty work.) Some fish dig constantly, lifting and dropping rocks on the bottom glass, to the point where there is real danger they could break the tank. Where will that leave them? High and dry; but as smart as cichlids are, they don’t understand that if they break the glass, they’ll be fish out of water.

SIZE DOESN’T PREDICT PERSONALITY

Size is no indicator of the cichild’s temperament. A tiny pair of dwarf cichlids exhibit unmatched fury if their young are threatened. A pair of discus, the most peaceful of cichlids, can