Which do you think are better, African Cichlids or South American Cichlids? I like and own African, but I don't know the pros and cons between the two. So can anyone tell me the advantages of having one of the kinds versus the other? And also, are there other kinds of cichlids? I've heard people talk about cichlids in the U.S. but I doubt they're as colorful and cool as the other two kinds. Anyway, give me your feedback.
African vs. South American
- Thread starter KiemRaekerm
- Start date
the main difference I can see between them, is africans need very hard and base water, while SA prefer slighty acidic and soft water.
depending on your local water supply, it might be impractical to keep one or another. For example, my local water has a ph of 6.0(drops to about 5.6 in spring) and is very soft; excelent for SA, but hardly suitable for african.
Luckily, there is a well near me that is slightly hard and has a ph of 7.8, so I could probably keep both. Yay me!
as for your other questions, I'll leav them to some with more experience than myself.
depending on your local water supply, it might be impractical to keep one or another. For example, my local water has a ph of 6.0(drops to about 5.6 in spring) and is very soft; excelent for SA, but hardly suitable for african.
Luckily, there is a well near me that is slightly hard and has a ph of 7.8, so I could probably keep both. Yay me!
as for your other questions, I'll leav them to some with more experience than myself.
Yes, one difference would be water requirements.
Also, diet could play HUGE factor(especially when dealing with Malawi cichlids)
Below I have listed all of the cichlid groups:
Rift Lake Cichlids:
Which are from:
Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria
This is where you will find alot of hard water loving cichlids.
Some of the more popular ones would be: Haps, Peacocks, Mbunas, Shelldwellers, Frontosas, etc, etc
West African (Riverine) Cichlids:
Though they are african, in these parts the water is soft to neutral. So the fish that come from here usually have opposite water preferences than their rift lake counterparts.
The cichlids that come from here are cichlids like: Jewel cichlids and Kribs
South American (Amazon) Cichlids:
The water in the amazon is usually very soft, but some parts are fairy hard and are actually as high as a ph of 7.6!!
The cichlids that come from here would be cichlids like: Discus, Angels, Apistos, Rams, Keyholes, Severums, Festivums, Blue Acaras, Green Terrors, Oscars(which are now also found in other places of the world).
Central American Cichlids:
The waters here are usually hard.
These cichlids can even be found in North American places like Mexico and even Florida!(i won't get into that)
ALOT of the cichlids that come from here are your "heavy hitters" like: Jack Dempseys, Jags, Doviis, Red Devils, Trimacs, Midas cichlids, Salvinis, Convicts, Umbees, Texas Cichlids, etc, etc
But you'll be glad to know that NOT ALL Central Americans are overley agressive
So basically to sum all of this up........
When it comes to cichlids it's a matter of personal preference, routine maintence, tank space, compatability and some trial and error IMHO
Disclaimer: Yes, I wrote all of the above myself!!
Also, diet could play HUGE factor(especially when dealing with Malawi cichlids)
Below I have listed all of the cichlid groups:
Rift Lake Cichlids:
Which are from:
Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria
This is where you will find alot of hard water loving cichlids.
Some of the more popular ones would be: Haps, Peacocks, Mbunas, Shelldwellers, Frontosas, etc, etc
West African (Riverine) Cichlids:
Though they are african, in these parts the water is soft to neutral. So the fish that come from here usually have opposite water preferences than their rift lake counterparts.
The cichlids that come from here are cichlids like: Jewel cichlids and Kribs
South American (Amazon) Cichlids:
The water in the amazon is usually very soft, but some parts are fairy hard and are actually as high as a ph of 7.6!!
The cichlids that come from here would be cichlids like: Discus, Angels, Apistos, Rams, Keyholes, Severums, Festivums, Blue Acaras, Green Terrors, Oscars(which are now also found in other places of the world).
Central American Cichlids:
The waters here are usually hard.
These cichlids can even be found in North American places like Mexico and even Florida!(i won't get into that)
ALOT of the cichlids that come from here are your "heavy hitters" like: Jack Dempseys, Jags, Doviis, Red Devils, Trimacs, Midas cichlids, Salvinis, Convicts, Umbees, Texas Cichlids, etc, etc
But you'll be glad to know that NOT ALL Central Americans are overley agressive
So basically to sum all of this up........
When it comes to cichlids it's a matter of personal preference, routine maintence, tank space, compatability and some trial and error IMHO
Disclaimer: Yes, I wrote all of the above myself!!
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For me it has to be Lake Tanganyikan species because my focus in keeping fish is on their behaviour. Lake Tanganyika is the oldest lake in the Rift Valley, the second deepest in the world and with the highest population of endemic species that you'll find anywhere. Their behaviour is complex and there are cichlids that have developed to fit any and every possible ecological niche. They are intelligent and their behaviour remains plastic, ie they continue to learn and adapt to their environment, which ensures that keeping them in aquaria is intellectually challenging.
Fish as pure ornament (community fish in planted tanks) holds no attraction. No disrespect to keepers of other African, SA and CA cichlids but the "wet pet" has no appeal for me either and neither has the predictability of mbuna. The challenges of discus keeping seem to me to centre around fish-husbandry itself rather than the fish.
We also have a coldwater tank with fancy goldfish, minnows and loaches so don't think I'm snobbish or elitist about my hobby. Each very much to his own but that explains why I've chosen my area of speciality.
Fish as pure ornament (community fish in planted tanks) holds no attraction. No disrespect to keepers of other African, SA and CA cichlids but the "wet pet" has no appeal for me either and neither has the predictability of mbuna. The challenges of discus keeping seem to me to centre around fish-husbandry itself rather than the fish.
We also have a coldwater tank with fancy goldfish, minnows and loaches so don't think I'm snobbish or elitist about my hobby. Each very much to his own but that explains why I've chosen my area of speciality.
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1500+ different species of cichlids in the wild & hundreds available for the hobby to choose with.
Decide the colour, size, temperament, temperature, water parameter and u'll defenitely find a cichlid to fit in.
There's nothing like a pro in 1 kind and a con in another kind. Its totally upto u to choose. Its something like baseball's a different game & basket ball's a diff game. It depends on what u like.
bluetorq has put it all. Fishes are not tht depending on water parameters like pH & hardness. They can thrive in the water you provide, given u keep them in stable pH & hardness. All they need is 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite & least nitrates & nutrition nearing to wht they eat in their natural habitat.
Here's a list of food tht I'd recoment:
CA cichlids - Protien rich food like pellets, cichlid sticks, beefheartmix with a protien composition hr than say 40-50%
SA cichlids - More of a wormy diet like frozen blood worms, frozen tubifex worms, flakes, beefheart mix. Very hi protien foods.
Tanganyikans - Primarily feed on shrimp and other invertibrates.
Malawians - Food stuffs containing lower protien and more of a veggie diet.
Decide the colour, size, temperament, temperature, water parameter and u'll defenitely find a cichlid to fit in.
There's nothing like a pro in 1 kind and a con in another kind. Its totally upto u to choose. Its something like baseball's a different game & basket ball's a diff game. It depends on what u like.
bluetorq has put it all. Fishes are not tht depending on water parameters like pH & hardness. They can thrive in the water you provide, given u keep them in stable pH & hardness. All they need is 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite & least nitrates & nutrition nearing to wht they eat in their natural habitat.
Here's a list of food tht I'd recoment:
CA cichlids - Protien rich food like pellets, cichlid sticks, beefheartmix with a protien composition hr than say 40-50%
SA cichlids - More of a wormy diet like frozen blood worms, frozen tubifex worms, flakes, beefheart mix. Very hi protien foods.
Tanganyikans - Primarily feed on shrimp and other invertibrates.
Malawians - Food stuffs containing lower protien and more of a veggie diet.
Ok short and sweet.....
Personally i like Africans. Colorful, active, and the most interesting. Especially lake Tang, these cichlids are the most fun to watch hands down. Can't wait to get myself an African tank setup. I'd take african anyday over SA/CA (minus the discus). Basically, you could keep more africans in a tank than SA/CA. Mimicing the lake, you slightly overstock a Mbuna tank to lessen the aggression. Unless of course you want some aggression to show the true behavior of your fish.
We've had this disscussion before.....water (pH wise) does NOT matter unless you have Wild, first and maybe 2nd generation fish. (F0, F1, F2)
Really its a personal preference. If we told you this cichlid was the best, it'd only be an opinion.
Oh really blueturq? As high as 7.6? hmmm
Personally i like Africans. Colorful, active, and the most interesting. Especially lake Tang, these cichlids are the most fun to watch hands down. Can't wait to get myself an African tank setup. I'd take african anyday over SA/CA (minus the discus). Basically, you could keep more africans in a tank than SA/CA. Mimicing the lake, you slightly overstock a Mbuna tank to lessen the aggression. Unless of course you want some aggression to show the true behavior of your fish.
We've had this disscussion before.....water (pH wise) does NOT matter unless you have Wild, first and maybe 2nd generation fish. (F0, F1, F2)
Really its a personal preference. If we told you this cichlid was the best, it'd only be an opinion.
Oh really blueturq? As high as 7.6? hmmm
i like south american cichlids alot more than africans. i think south americans have much better colors. i also really like their personalities. african cichlids are boring IMO and dont have interesting colors like south americans. just my opinion; most people think africans are way more colorful but i think south americans are.
I did Africans a long ago and found them to be quite interesting but right now I am into CA/SA cichlids. I find that all Cichlids are interesting fish with interesting personalities. Right now it seems as if the Africans are more popular as a whole. It just comes down to your own preference. It is like asking if you prefer GM over Ford.