Africa Cichlid / Aquarium Tropical Fish

Cichlids (pronounced /ˈsɪklɨd/) are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses Labridae, damselfish Pomacentridae, and surfperches Embiotocidae.This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described,making it one of the largest vertebrate families. New species are discovered annually, and many species remain undescribed. The actual number of species is therefore unknown, with estimates varying between 1,300 and 3,000.

A lot of the famous African cichlids hail from one of the Great Rift Valley lakes on the African continent; chiefly Lake Malawi, Lake Victoria or Lake Tanganyika. There are however a wide range of interesting cichlid species that comes from other African rivers and lakes. The River Nile, River Niger, River Zaire, River Gambia and River Zambezi are all inhabited by cichlids. The Okavango River Delta, the Sierra Leone regions and Lake Volta and Lake Albert are other places where you can find cichlids. The rainforest in Central Africa is also home to numerous cichlid species. Generally speaking, these waters are acidic, but some of them are alkaline so it is important that you research your particular species in order to find out its requirements.

One of the cichlid species that belong to the “Other African Cichlids” group is the Nigeria Green (Pelvicachromis taeniatus). This cichlid is found in soft and acidic waters in Nigeria and Cameroon. The male can grow up to 3.5 inches, while the female stays at 2.5 inches. If you manage to get your Nigeria Green cichlids into spawning conditions, the male will display a strong and very beautiful metallic green coloration with shades of red, violet and gold. The female will also show more vivid colors during the breeding period. The middle of her body will develop red and silvery colors, while her throat becomes bright yellow.

Another popular cichlid in this group is Hemichromis bimaculatus. This cichlid can reach a size of nearly 5.5 inches (14 centimeters) and is comparatively easy to breed in aquariums. Hemichromis bimaculatus is one of several species that is sold under the name Jewel Cichlid or Jeweled Cichlid. Hemichromis bimaculatus is also known as Red Cichlid. Since Hemichromis bimaculatus is an aggressive species you should only house it with sturdy species that will not tolerate being bullied. As long as they are kept with sturdy species of similar size they will however be quite peaceful, and their reputation as overly aggressive is highly undeserved. This reputation is probably caused by aquarists trying to house Hemichromis bimaculatus with timid fish species in a small aquarium, or during the breeding period. Just like many other cichlid species, breeding Hemichromis bimaculatus will defend their territory violently if necessary. Hemichromis bimaculatus need at least a 150 liters (40 gallon) aquarium. You can for instance keep your Hemichromis bimaculatus cichlids with other Hemichromis species, or with Barbs and Danio. A lot of the South American cichlids are also suitable. Decorate the aquarium with rocks and make sure that you create a lot of hiding places where the fish can hide and stay out of sight. Hemichromis bimaculatus can damage plants and rocks and other similar aquarium ornaments are therefore more suitable as aquarium decoration. Sturdy plants such as Anubias, Javafern and Amazon Sword will however usually withstand the attacks from a few Hemichromis bimaculatus.

Keep the pH-value in the 6.5-7.5 range and the water temperature between 23-27 degrees C (74-80 degrees F).

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