Cichlid Species, etc.
Back to the Aquarium
Behavior
Here are some brief descriptions of cichlids, according to where they come from. These are ones that I have kept, personally. There are thousands of species, so this hardly touches upon the majority of cichlids.
Central America:
Red Devil- The most aggressive fish you can commonly get. Dull colored.
Jack dempsey-Blackish w/ stripes and/or spots. Named after boxer.
Blue Freckled Monster- THE most aggressive cichlid you can get. Extremely hard to get. Territory extends beyond the tank.
Texas Cichlid-Related to JD. Lives close to Rio Grande.
Convict-(above)African. Several subspecies. Has vertical stripes that make it look like a "convict", hence the name.
Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi (In Africa):
Kennyi- Bluish w/ black stripes going down. When it matures, gets more aggressive and blue is replaced with yellow. (Malawi)
Julies- This group are generally yellow w/ horizontal black stripes. Smaller. (Tanganyika)
Powder Blue-Show-offs. Cool glint on them. Black on fins. See pic below. (Malawi).
Melanochromis sp.- Genus where fish have 2 horizontal stripes (usually black base with blue stripes.) Ex.: Chipokae, Johanii, Parallelus. (Malawi)
Haplochromis sp.- This genus (now re-categorized) has duller colors, and odd behavior. Some are camoflauged (Livingstoni), while others eat eyes (compressips). (Malawi)
Jewel cichlid-Agressive african.Gets red when mad. Gray otherwise. (other African lakes, such as Victoria)
South America:
Oscars-tall and long. get big cuz they eat a lot. NO OTHER AGGRESSIVE CICHLIDS! The oscars will die otherwise. Need A LOT of room.
Angelfish-these are shoaling fish. Not aggressive for cichlid standards, but pretty. Triangular shape.
DiscusThese are passive (like above). Tall and round. Get hole-in-the-head-disease very easily, so be careful.
