Keeping Cichlids is a hobby that more and more people are learning to enjoy every day. But if you are just beginning to learn how to keep these amazing and beautiful tropical fish, you have lots of questions. These are a few tips to get you started in your quest to keeping healthy but most importantly happy cichlids.

The first thing that you need to do when keeping cichlids is to consider what size that your cichlids will be when they are fully mature. If you have gotten bitten by the Oscar bug and have fallen in love with these very personable fish, you are simply going to need a large tank.

I would recommend that you keep them in at least a 55 gallon aquarium, and that’s just for a pair of Oscars. Smaller varieties of cichlids will need a smaller tank. Yep, it’s as simple as that.

Second, ph level and water salinity, among other water chemistry levels, can be very different between the different types of cichlids. Just consider African Cichlids. They are found in different lakes in Africa. Each of these lakes have their own unique water chemistry, so if you are keeping Africans, it is very important to do your research if you are going to replicate their native habitat.

Temperature and water chemistry are very important if your cichlids are going to thrive. These levels must be monitored for African or American cichlids.

Keeping cichlids with aquatic plants can sometimes be a challenge. I love a lush aquarium full of vibrant vegetation, but this can sometimes be impossible with certain types of cichlids.

American varieties of cichlids seem to be able to tolerate plants in their aquarium better that Africans do. But having made that point, Oscars love to destroy plant life. Angel fish, on the other hand, seem to tolerate plants very well.

Angel fish can be some of the most enjoyable cichlids in my opinion. They even do very well in community tanks because they are generally docile and tolerate plants very well.

Visit cichlid care to learn how to keep cichlids healthy, colorful and happy. And visit keeping cichlids to learn how to keep your cichlids stress free.

Tags: aquarim fish, Aquariums, cichlid care, cichlid fish, Fish, fish tank, hobbies, home, keeping cichlids, pets

This entry was posted on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 8:52 am and is filed under Fish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.