African Jewelfish

The African Jewelfish is a member of the Cichlid family that originates from the rivers of West Africa, including the Nile, the Niger and the Congo Rivers. It is a popular tropical fish to keep in an aquarium, but can present certain challenges. It has attractive coloring, which probably explains it popularity, and when they are breeding their coloring becomes even more intense.

In order to keep Jewelfish successfully, as with all tropical fish, you need to simulate their natural environment as far as possible. The rivers of West Africa are naturally soft and slightly acidic. The pH range you need to be aiming for in your aquarium is 6.5 to 7.5. The temperature needs to be in the range 75F (24C) to 82F (28C). They prefer a heavily planted tank, but they tend to dig up the plants. If you also include some bogwood then this will help to maintain the tank's acidity.

If Jewelfish are not kept in the right conditions then their coloration can become a little drab. However, ensuring the optimum water conditions and providing the right food ensure that they are at their best. Is important to remember that Jewelfish are carnivorous and therefore their diet should reflect this.

Jewelfish are notoriously aggressive and are most definitely not community fish, especially when they are breeding. They will attack, kill and eat any other smaller fish. In fact they are known to eat their own young.

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Keeping American Cichlids

Cichlids from South, Central and North America are known collectively as American Cichlids or New World Cichlids. American Cichlids include a large range of size, color and behavior of fish and may be kept successfully in aquarium conditions. The Texas Cichlid (or Rio Grande Cichlid) is the only Cichlid that is native to North America. These are actually found naturally in the southern parts of Texas and Mexico. The remainder of this group of fish are found in Central and South America.

As these fish originate from a vast area with differing conditions, it is not surprising that are a variety of conditions required in the aquarium to keep these fish successfully. As a very broad generalization, the fish that originate from South America prefer well planted tank and like soft and slightly acidic water. One of the most popular of the South American Cichlids is the Angelfish. The natural habitat of the Angelfish is slow flowing streams and rivers where the water is soft and acidic. The optimum aquarium conditions for Angelfish should have water with pH between 6.5 to 6.9. Good water conditions and frequent water changes are advisable as failure to do will result in fish that refuse to eat. Another popular Cichlid from South America is the Oscar Cichlid. You will need a somewhat larger aquarium for this fish though as it can grow up to 12 inches in length!

In very general terms, Cichlids from Central and North America tend to prefer slightly more alkaline water conditions and harder water. In common with their South American counterparts though, they tend to prefer plenty of vegetation.

Keeping American Cichlids is a satisfying and rewarding hobby , but you do need to ensure that you have done your research first in order to successfully keep your fish in the best possible condition.

Make sure that you have sufficient information for caring for your American Cichlids by getting the very best information. You can find out more about keeping Cichlids at www.cichlid-care.info

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What are Dwarf Cichlids?

Dwarf Cichlids are not actually technically a defined group of tropical fish, but are a group that defined by aquarists as a group of fish with certain traits. The precise definition of Dwarf Cichlids has been a matter of some debate amongst the fish keeping community for a number of years. Obviously the main feature that they have in common is that they are they are small and they originate primarily from South America and the rivers of West Africa.

Dwarf Cichlids tend to prefer mainly soft and acidic water, although many will stand more alkaline water. The ideal aquarium set up should include plenty of plants and bogwood to simulate their natural environment. Dwarf Cichlids come a wide array of colors and exhibit a fascinating range of behaviors. In general, they can be kept in a community tank, although there are a few notable exceptions.

One example of a Dwarf Cichlid is the Cockatoo or Crested Dwarf Cichlid. Native to the South American Amazon basin, the Cockatoo prefers a planted tank, with rock or bogwood caves. It is generally compatible with other aquarium fish, but they will become territorial when spawning. They can be kept in a general community tank setup, but allow space for territories if other dwarf cichlids are included.

The ideal water temperature is 24-28C (75-82F) and the water should be soft and acidic (pH 5.5 - 6.8) preferred, although this species is more tolerant of slightly alkaline water than others. This is a popular and commonly available fish and several color forms are available, such as the popular "Super Red" and "Double Red" varieties.

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Malawi Cichlids

Lake Malawi is home to more fish species (notably the Malawi Cichlids) than anywhere else on earth. Being a rift valley lake, it is very rocky lake with little vegetation. The edges of the lake provide a different type of habitat; more sandy with fewer rocks and more open water. These two different types of habitat give rise to two different groups of Cichlid; the rock dwellers (or mbuna) and non-rock dwellers.

If you are thinking of keeping Malawi Cichlids you will really need to decide which group you want to keep as generally the rock dwellers and non-rock dwellers do not get on well together. In fact they do not particularly get with other types of fish, so you will really need to restrict yourself to just mbunas or non-rock dwelling Cichlids. Once you have decided you will need to set up your aquarium accordingly. For rock dwelling fish, it should come as no great surprise that you need plenty of rocks. Not only this though, your fish need plenty of little caves and places to hide and explore.

The non-rock dwellers prefer a sandy substrate and generally more open water. They should not have a completely bare tank though, they do need some interest. Typically they should have just a few rocks scattered over the floor of the tank, and they do not particularly need caves.

In their natural environment, Malawi Cichlids live in water temperatures of around 24-26C or 76-79F, therefore you will need to try and replicate this within your aquarium. In order to avoid variations in temperatures you will need to locate your aquarium away from heaters and out of direct sunlight.

Why not find out more about the fascinating hobby of keeping Malawi Cichlids. You can discover the secrets of keeping Cichlids at http://www.cichlid-care.info

Successfully Caring For Cichlids

In order to successfully keep cichlids in your aquarium it is important to as closely as possible replicate the conditions in which they live in their natural environment. The important factors to consider are the acidity or alkalinity of the water (or pH), the temperature, the water hardness and the layout of the tank.

In general, African Cichlids tend to prefer slightly alkaline water, whereas Cichlids from South America prefer slightly acidic water. Where you require your water to be alkaline, you can use gravel, rocks and crushed coral to help maintain the correct alkalinity.

The ideal temperature range of the water for Cichlids is between 74F (23C) to 82F (28C) the optimum being 78F (26C). You should ensure that you position your aquarium away from radiators, heaters and direct sunlight in order to avoid overheating.

In terms of layout of your tank, again it is a matter of considering where the fish originate from. Therefore for South American Cichlids for example, you will need a well planted aquarium. In contrast, Cichlids from Lake Malawi do not need plants and prefer either plenty of rocks with little caves to shelter in, or more sandy conditions with plenty of open water to swim about in.

If you can successfully replicate the natural conditions for cichlids then you are more likely to have healthy fish. You can find out how to achieve the ideal conditions for your cichlids at cichlid-care.info.