What Are African Cichlids?

One of the most common fish types found in large, freshwater aquariums are cichlids. These fish are well liked due to their vibrant colors and patterns. They're also easy to care for, for the most part. Cichlids come from Asia, Central and South America and Africa. There are thousands of kinds of African cichlids.

  1. Native Habitat

    • African cichlids, such as slender cichlids and Frantosa cichlids, are naturally found in the wild in three large lakes in Africa. These lakes are Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanginika. Lake Malawi alone has 1,000 types of cichlids living in it. African cichlids, like all cichlids, are freshwater fish. Most cichlids prefer hiding places such as plants, rocks or other objects in their surroundings, as would be found in their natural habitat.

    Coloring

    • African cichlids can be found in an array of brilliant colors. lues, reds, yellows, golds, silvers and greens are common colors, as well as darker colors such as grays, tans, browns and blacks. African cichlids also are often spotted or striped. Butterfly, jewel and peacock African cichlids demonstrate through their names their unusual coloring and patterning. Some cichlid species even change color according to mood or environment.

    Size

    • African cichlids can grow to a range of different sizes. Most aquarium cichlids will grow to between 4 and 9 inches, although some may be slightly bigger or smaller. There also are some less common African cichlids that are occasionally introduced to aquariums, such as giant Tanganyika cichlids, which grow to between 26 and 36 inches.

    Behavior

    • African cichlids are smart and energetic, and swim vigorously about the aquarium. Cichlids are naturally social fish, and often live in schools in their natural environment. Cichlids, however, are known to be aggressive fish. African cichlids in particular are known for their aggression. There is usually one dominant male, which can become very territorial, attacking less dominant fish. Therefore, cichlids do well in aquariums that house only one specific type of cichlid, or several types of compatible cichlids. You also can lessen the problem by keeping a higher ratio of female to male cichlids, and providing adequate tank space.

    Care

    • Cichlids need large tanks in order to remain comfortable. Although the size of tank will vary depending on the type of cichlid you're keeping, the rule of thumb to remember is to keep only 1 inch of mature fish per 3 gallons of water in the aquarium. Decorate the aquarium with rocks and plants, providing hiding spaces for the fish. Almost all cichlids are carnivorous, so provide a healthy diet of carnivorous fish food, worms or insect larvae. If you have one of the two herbivorous species, the Geophagus or the Tilapia, provide an herbivorous fish food diet.