Introduction To Cichlid Fish
All cichlids are Cichlidae family members. Discus, Angelfish, Oscar and Jack Dempsey are some of the most common cichlid species that people know about. Cichlidae is one family that is very diverse and you will find cichlids in many parts of the world and in various environments. Cichlid species ended up evolving in order to properly deal with environment surroundings so that they can survive. This is why cichlid species will also show variations in temperament, size, water quality preferred and 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. Most African cichlids are available in the Great Rift Valley. 4 important subcategories exist when looking at African cichlids and they appear based on living location. We thus have Lake Malawi cichlids, Lake Victoria cichlids, Lake Tanganyika cichlids and other cichlids. Some specialists will also consider dwarf cichlids as one special category even if they can also be considered a part of other African cichlids.
Whenever we are considering raising cichlids in aquariums we need to know that some are really problematic. The reason for this is merely size. We now know of the biggest cichlid species reaching a maximum of 100 centimetres. A dwarf cichlid will usually not grow larger than just three centimetres. Aquarists do find the dwarf cichlid appealing due to the fact that a large aquarium is not needed. If you do want to raise them in aquariums there is an immediate need to take good care of them as they are highly sensitive.
Different cichlid species will usually look and act differently although some anatomic characteristics are common. Cichlids just have one nostril and their intestine leaves the body towards the left side. Also, cichlids will show many teeth in both jaws and also in throats.
