Cichlids
Cichlids have become an extremely popular type of fish. They are best for the intermediate and advanced hobbyists.These aquarists often want bright colours, lots of activity and are willing to keep tanks larger than most of the beginners community fish are kept in.
All have teeth and all display very powerful parental behavior, although they can show it in very different ways. Most species will become quite territorial when ready to spawn.
With the exception of the dwarf Cichlid, most are quite aggressive and need to be kept with similar species and temperaments.
Most commonly, there are three main categories of these fish that are identified and available in the Centres D'Animaux Nature Pet's six stores' aquariums.
They are really broken into these three for convenience since the Dwarfs are really from South America. They could be melded into that geographical division easily.
It is just that they show such dramatic differences in both size and temperament that they deserve to be discussed as a separate category.
Unlike the Dwarfs, South American and African Cichlids can be extremely aggressive and will gain more territory when kept in small groups.
They often will kill less aggressive species to get more space. They grow rapidly when juveniles and often become quite a bit larger than a standard community aquarium will allow.
An exception to this rule are the Angel fish, Pterophylum which. as juveniles can be added to a smaller tank. Just be aware that very small passive fish such as neon tetras (Paracheirodon innesi) may disappear mysteriously.
These species are better suited for larger aquariums and communities of similar sized and temperaments.
Just be sure that you mix South American with South American and African with African. Even this doesn't work all the time. Each type has very different history and requirements.
Ultimately, if you mix these locations, you will still end up with one type only - the rest will be killed in the competition.
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