A sharks life cycle is very interesting. We don’t really know that much about their life cycle because man has not been able to study many of the mating, birth, and lives of the over four hundred species of sharks that populate the world.

The few sharks that have survived in captivity and have been studied are where most of the “averages” that you read about come from. These are a fraction of the vast number of sharks that cannot be captured, held in captivity, or studied successfully in the wild.

The gestation period of a shark can last from 9 months to two years. The three methods for birth are the ovoparity in which eggs are laid in a crevice or crack in a protected area. The egg is a tough leather-like casing that is screwed into the crevice or crack so that it is hard for predators to retrieve.

Some sharks carry their eggs in the womb, called the ovoviparity method. When a pup hatches from the egg it feeds on the other eggs in the womb and the fluids, then is born fully developed and functioning. The viviparity method is the same as mammals. The pups are carried in a placenta, nurse and are weaned there and then are born and swim away from the mother.

A reason that there are over eight species of shark are threatened with extinction is because there is no regulations to protect them. Sharks are not like other fish that lay a lot of eggs and have several hundred babies every few months. Some sharks do not reach maturity until they are in their teens and have one or two pups every two years. With 30-100 million sharks being killed each year, there is not enough time for the shark population to recover.

On average, a shark lives up to twenty-five years. But, remember that there are no real statistics on sharks that we have not been able to study. No one knows for sure how long a Great White lives. A Great White that is being followed in the wild is currently 25 years old. There are Whale Sharks living that are thought to be at least 100 years old.

Studying sharks has always Seiji Tadashi’s passion for as long as he can remember and has always pondered about the sharks life cycle.

Searching for the best tankmates for South American Cichlids can be difficult at first. But it is not that hard if you make sure not to make any quick decisions when you are in your favorite pet store.

Considering how big your cichlids will be is the first thing that you should think about. Never pick tankmates for your cichlids that look like they are small enough to fit in your fishes mouth. Maybe that will not always work, but you get the idea.

Second, choosing tankmates that do not have the same temperament as each other. Juvenile Oscars and Angel Fish are a good example. These two species make great tankmates when they are little. But when those Oscars start to grow, the Angels will loose every battle very quickly.

Those are a few obvious points about choosing tankmates for your cichlids, but lets get to the issue of this article. So what are the best tankmates for cichlids. Catfish, that’s right, Catfish. But lets get a little bit more specific. What about Corydoras. These little guys are some of my favorite tropical fish, and they make great tankmates for all sorts of cichlids.

Again, you should definitely think about the size of the cichlids that you own. If you have Oscars, you should not choose the smaller kinds of corydoras. The Oscars will think that they are food and scarf them down like little candies. It is best to choose one of the larger varieties of corys like the bronze corydoras.

They will mature at about three inches long and make good tank mates for even the larger varieties of South American Cichlids, when the catfish are fully mature of course.

But consider this fact when choosing tankmates for cichlids, sometimes Oscars don’t play by the rules. It is best to raise Oscars with corys as tankmates so they get used to having them swim about the bottom of the tank. And make sure that you keep at least five or six corys at a time. They are much happier when they have a few buddies.

See this article for more information about cichlid tank mates. Visit cichlid care to learn how to keep cichlids healthy, colorful and happy.