Cichlid Fish
()
About this ebook
Cichlids are some of the most fascinating fishes available in the aquarium hobby trade. As long as their general and special requirements are adequately met, these colorful, active and interesting fishes will provide years of pleasure and stimulating experiences to the hobbyist.
Cichlid Fish not only talks about the many varieties of Cichlids, it will guide you through aquariums, feeding, breeding and how to look for and treat many fish diseases.
This has essential information for the beginner hobbyist as well as for the long time expert.
David Oconner
David Oconner has been writing and publishing books on many of his varied interests. He has books on topics such as Cichlid Fish, How to Grow Tomatoes, Sugar Gliders, Juicing Recipes, Vegetarian Cookbook, How to Play Minecraft, Diablo III, Mass Effect 3, Halo 4, GuildWars 2, Scrolls, Eve Online, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Titanfall, Dark Souls II, and more.
Read more from David Oconner
Juicing Recipes: 109 Ways to Better Health Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sugar Gliders Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsByzantium Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmma's Resolve Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBehind Closed Doors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow To Grow Tomatoes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVegetarian Recipes: 109 Ways to Better Health Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Is The Caveman Diet? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCamping Essentials Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Chronicles of Humanity's Future Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Cichlid Fish
Related ebooks
The Discus Book Tropical Fish Keeping Special Edition: The Discus Books, #3 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Freshwater Aquariums in Your Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAquarium Fish Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCare for your Tropical Fish Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Discus: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKeeping Discus Fish Quick Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLivebearers: Understanding Guppies, Mollies, Swordtails and Others Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Discus Book: 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCichlids: Understanding Angelfish, Oscars, Discus, and Others Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFreshwater Aquariums: Basic Aquarium Setup and Maintenance Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Freshwater Fishes of the Eastern Himalayas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Guide In Caring and Keeping Cichlids Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Cichlid: An Owner'S Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Betta Handbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKen Schultz's Field Guide to Freshwater Fish Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClownfish as pets. Clown Fish owners manual. Clownfish care, health and feeding all included. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBasic Principles Of Freshwater Aquariums Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKen Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater Fish Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tropical Reef Fishes: Periplus Nature Guide Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Goldfish: Your Happy Healthy Pet Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Bettas and Gouramis: Understanding Siamese Fighting Fish, Paradisefish, Kissing Gouramis, and Other Anabantoids Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKeeping and Caring for Monitor Lizards and Tegus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Coral Reef Aquarium: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Seahorses as Pets. Seahorse Complete Owners Manual. Seahorse care, health, tank, costs and feeding. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuide to Protozoa of Marine Aquaculture Ponds Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAquarium Maintenance Tips And Fish Care Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPeacock Bass: Diversity, Ecology and Conservation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHandy Pocket Guide to Tropical Coral Reef Fishes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Koi: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Essential Tropical Fish: Setup & Maintenance Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Fish & Aquariums For You
Dolphins: 101 Fun Facts & Amazing Pictures (Featuring The World's 6 Top Dolphins) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Betta Handbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAquascaping: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planting, Styling, and Maintaining Beautiful Aquariums Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New Saltwater Aquarium Guide: How to Care for and Keep Marine Fish and Corals Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Betta Fish or Siamese Fighting Fish. Betta Fish Owners Manual. Betta fish care, health, tank, costs and feeding. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFreshwater Aquarium Models: Recipes for Creating Beautiful Aquariums That Thrive Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sharks: 101 Super Fun Facts And Amazing Pictures (Featuring The World's Top 10 Sharks) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Care for Your Guinea Pigs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Freshwater Aquariums For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Tropical Fish Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Beginner's Guide To Koi Ponds Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTetras Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Oceans and Seas of the World : Homeschool Geography 3rd Grade Series: Oceanography for Kids Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Everything Fishing Book: Grab Your Tackle Box and Get Hooked on America's Favorite Outdoor Sport Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaltwater Aquariums For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Garden Fish Pond: Creation, Stocking, And Maintenance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBetta: Your Happy Healthy Pet Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Eye to Eye with Big Bass: “Let Her Go! She Is Just Another Big Fish!” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFreshwater Aquariums For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAxolotl for beginners: 1x1 guide for species-appropriate keeping, care and feeding in the aquarium incl. interesting facts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Everything Aquarium Book: All You Need to Build the Acquarium of Your Dreams Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Saltwater Aquarium: Your Happy Healthy Pet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlice's Adventures in Wonder Land Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLivebearers: Understanding Guppies, Mollies, Swordtails and Others Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnexpected Healers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Super Foods Tropical Fish and Discus Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaps, the Oceans & Continents : Third Grade Geography Series: 3rd Grade Books - Maps Exploring The World for Kids Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeahorses as Pets. Seahorse Complete Owners Manual. Seahorse care, health, tank, costs and feeding. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Reviews for Cichlid Fish
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Cichlid Fish - David Oconner
CICHLID FISH
The Fascinating World of Cichlid Care
By
David Oconner
* * * * *
PUBLISHED BY:
David Oconner at Smashwords
Cichlid Fish
Copyright © 2012 by Davod Oconner
Discover other titles by David Oconner at Smashwords.com
This book is available in print at most online retailers.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher
*****
Table of Contents
What are cichlids?
Cichlid Care
How to buy healthy cichlids
Feeding
Homemade, specialized food preparations
Feeding for enhancement and control of coloration
Non-dietary methods of enhancing coloration
Reproduction
Parenting and Brooding
Behavior
Management of cichlid aggression in the tank
Sample aquarium setups
Diseases
Diagnosis
Treating fish diseases
Specific diseases
CICHLID FISH
*****
What are Cichlids?
So you decided to take care of cichlids? Good for you! Cichlids are some of the most fascinating fishes available in the aquarium hobby trade. They belong to the fish group that includes tilapias, damselfish, wrasses and surfperches.
.
Cichlid fishes belong to the Kingdom Animalia, where all animals are grouped. Phylum Chordata is the group of animals with backbones or vertebrae. Cichlids are of the Class Actinopterygii and the Order Perciformes, and the Suborder Labroidei. They are of the Family Cichlidae, which contains at least eight subfamilies, around two hundred and twenty genera, and more than a thousand species. Cichlid classification, due to their wide diversity, is far from being final. There are bound to be many changes in their taxonomical classification in the future.
The Labroidei Suborder
Cichlids are a wide diversity of colorful fishes with equally divergent body shapes, sizes and behavior. They are just as widespread in geographic location.
With the large size of the cichlid family come the diversity in its species and the diversity of their importance and use by man. Numerous species are utilized as food, especially tilapia, and there are several game fishes, such as those in the Cichla genus. Cichlids are also a family of many important ornamental aquarium fishes, which includes discus fishes, Oscars and angelfish.
There are also many cichlids that are currently on the brink of extinction. In fact, this is the family that has the highest number of endangered species, most of which belong to the group of haplochromines. Cichlids have also been known to be nuisance species in areas where they have been artificially introduced. One notable example is the introduction of tilapia in the south part of the U.S.
Evolutionarily, cichlids have been particularly noted to develop rapidly into different distinct forms that are very much related but are quite diverse in morphological terms. This rapid speciation occurred in the large lakes of Victoria, Edward, Malawi, and Tanganyika. The diversification in these Great Lakes in Africa is considered significant in the study of evolutionary speciation.
Cichlids in the aquarium
Most of the species seen in the aquarium fish trade originated from African rivers, Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi, the lakes in the African Rift Valley, the South American Amazon River, and Central America. .
As tropical aquarium species, cichlids have proven to be popular because of certain characteristics that endear them to fish keepers. They are very alert and active, qualities important in aquarium fishes.
In addition, there is a certain general rule in keeping tropical aquarium fishes that there should be a one gallon for every inch of adult residents in the tank. Although this is a broad generalization and is certainly not an all-inclusive rule, it is particularly not applicable to cichlids. This rule keeps aquariums quite spacious, and is generally a good idea for most other fishes. The more space there is, the better for the fish.
This is not true for cichlids because they do not school, unlike other tropical fishes. They tend to explore every inch of the aquarium and travel continuously. Thus, one can keep many more cichlids in one tank compared to other species.
Another reason for the increased stocking density requirement for cichlids is that cichlids are much more territorial than other tropical fishes. Because of this behavior, keeping the tank full of fish will prevent individual cichlids from establishing their territories, due to the high density of fish in the tank. There are so many inhabitants in the tank that they cannot create their own individual spaces. In contrast, keeping just a few cichlids in a tank will enable them to have their own space and territory, making them extremely ferocious against invaders to the point of even killing each other for territorial rights.
It is for this same reason that it is not recommended to keep many