Cichlid Fish Information
Cichlids are basically fish that are a part of the Cichlidae family. We are confident that you heard about different common species of cichlid in Oscar, Jack Dempsey, Angelfish and Discus. Cichlidae stands out as a highly diverse family that has spread around the world and appears in many environments. What is interesting is that cichlid species basically developed so that they can fit the surroundings. This is a huge reason why cichlid species develop variations in size, preferred water quality, temperament and various feeding habits. You will easily find cichlid fish in Asia, America and Africa.
According to specialists we are faced with three main cichlid species groups. They are South American, Central and North American and African. Great Rift Valley is the area where most African cichlids are found. African cichlids are based in 4 subcategories based on living location. We need to mention Lake Malawi cichlids, Lake Tanganyika cichlids, Lake Victoria cichlids and others. Although it is common to consider a dwarf cichlid to be an African cichlid some people will look at them as a separate species.
Some cichlids are really problematic if we want to raise them in any aquarium. This is because some of them are really big. We now know of the biggest cichlid species reaching a maximum of 100 centimeters. Dwarf cichlids will just grow till around 3 cm in most cases. Aquarists do find the dwarf cichlid appealing due to the fact that a large aquarium is not needed. Unfortunately they are highly sensitive and there is a need to be careful when taking care of them at all times if they are to be kept in aquariums.
Even if some species of cichlids might look similar when looking at anatomci characteristics the same thing can not be said about temperament. Cichlids show their small intestines always leaving a body towards a left side while also showing single nostril. Also, you will see that cichlids have a lot of teeth: in the lower and upper jaw and even in the throat.