Description of cichlid species

Cichlids are quite aggressive in nature, but extremely beautiful, bright color and spectacular appearance more than compensate for this shortcoming. This is probably why these fish have gained popularity among aquarists around the world.

Cichlids belong to the large cichlid family. They are so diverse that not all species of these fish have been described yet. Females are smaller than males. The shape and length of the fish body depends on the species, as well as the color options. The body length of members of the family can vary from 2 to 100 cm.

Cichlids are found in water bodies and rivers of Africa, South America, Asia and belong mainly to endemic species. African cichlids are divided into two types:

• mbuna - those who eat plant foods;
• duck - carnivorous species.

Cichlids are distinguished by an extremely aggressive character, both to representatives of other species and to relatives. Males jealously guard their territory and help females to raise offspring. Aquarium cichlids are quite capable of remembering the face of the owner. When he approaches, they swim up to the glass, they can even take food from their hands.

Most of the representatives of cichlids live on the African continent. The main habitats of these fish are some of the largest lakes in the world - Malawi, Tanganyika, Victoria, as well as other less known, in addition to lake species, there are also river ones. The appearance of African cichlids is very diverse.

Some species have a growth on the head or a slightly elongated mouth.

Most species have a spectacular, bright color, which helps to distinguish congeners from other species.

• Pelvicachromis pulcher or cichlid parrot has an elongated, slightly flattened yellow-brown body with a scarlet speck on the belly and small bright dots on the fins. In an excited state or during spawning, the color becomes more intense. Parrots grow relatively small, males - about 10 cm, and females - up to 7 cm.The average life expectancy is about 5 years. Differs in a rather peaceful character.

• Hemichromis golden - an inhabitant of reservoirs and rivers in western Africa. The body of the fish is elongated and flattened on the sides, the head has a high forehead and thick lips. The color is yellow-green, the belly is yellowish or weak red. There are 5 dark spots on the sides and on the gills. During spawning, the color of the fish becomes golden, and the belly becomes scarlet. On average, they live up to 10 years, the maximum length becomes 15 cm.

• Hemichromis red description similar to the previous representative of cichlids, but different in color. The fish has a bright red body with numerous dots of a bluish tone, they are even present on the fins. Males stand out a little large in size, and as they grow up, they develop a growth on their heads. Females are lighter in color and have fewer spots. On average, they grow up to 10 cm.

• Haplochromis cornflower blue - inhabitant of Lake Malawi. It differs in an unusual blue color. The lower fin of the fish has a yellowish color, the dorsal fin differs in length, and on it, as well as on the tail, there are several small yellow specks. Adults reach 20 cm, both males and females.

• Haplochromis philander due to rather scattered habitats, it has several color options. The largest representatives (about 11 cm) have a yellowish-green color with a golden sheen, but the back and sides have a light blue tint, the body is covered with blurred stripes that turn into spots in the tail. Fish with a smaller size (8 cm) are distinguished by a yellowish-olive color (males) and a clay-yellow color (females). The fins have small greenish dots, and the male has a bright red spot near the anal fin.

• Frontosa - an inhabitant of the sandy bottom of Tanganyika. The body of the fish is long, with flattened sides and a high back; a characteristic growth appears on the head of adults. The color of the body of the frontosa can vary from grayish-white to gray-blue, on the sides there are six transverse stripes of different widths in a dark tone. This type of fish differs in phlegmatic character and inactivity.

• Trofeus stellate is distinguished by a slightly elongated, arcuate body. The main color is black and blue, on the sides between the fins - the ventral and the beginning of the dorsal - a yellow, rather wide stripe is located across. The fins are dark in color with black-blue edges and pale yellow dots. They can grow up to 12 cm.

• Pseudotrophyus Pindani has an elongated body of pale blue color, sometimes with a slight purple tint. The fins have dark blue rays. The anal fin of males has several yellow spots. Males are larger than females, but they have the same colors.

• Pseudotropheus zebra differs in an elongated, slightly compressed body on the sides and a fatty formation on the head.The species is characterized by an extraordinary color palette - about 50 color options: white, blue, red, yellow, orange. On the sides there are 7-9 transverse darker stripes.

• Pseudotropheus lombardo has a yellow-golden or yellow-brown color; in some cases, not too clear stripes are noticeable on the sides. The fins are cast in a light blue tone, the anal is decorated with yellow dots, and the dorsal has a white border. The fish are 15 cm long.

• Lamprologus are represented by several species, a characteristic feature common to all of them is an elongated body, the colors are completely different. Lamprologus blue has an elongated bluish body with five black stripes across the sides; there is also a line of the same color on the forehead. Because of its color, it is also called the five-striped zebra. The length of the males is about 15 cm, the females have smaller parameters.

• Lamprologus tape shell it can have several colors: blue, brown, yellowish or creamy orange, there are 9 thin silver stripes on the body.

• Orange lamprologus differs in three color options: orange, golden yellow or blackish with numerous light specks.

• Lamprologus ocellated has a light brown body, on which 3 rows of shiny scales are placed in a longitudinal order.

• Labidochromis yellow, also called lemon or hummingbird, belongs to the dwarf cichlid species. Individuals of both sexes are yellow, in dominant males it is more saturated, and, in addition, their fins are black, the dorsal has a yellow border. Females have yellow fins.

• Leopard golden has a flattened body and a high back. The main background is whitish-yellow, the whole body is covered with large spots of olive-green color and black stripes. The dorsal fin has a golden edge, and the caudal fin is yellowish orange. When the male becomes sexually mature, his color changes completely, the spots and stripes disappear, the head and belly acquire a blue tint. The body becomes more yellow with slightly noticeable, blurred small spots.

• Melanochromis golden auratus has different color options for individuals of different sexes. Males have a brownish-black body and a golden back, on the sides there are 2 parallel blue horizontal stripes along the entire body. The fins are white-yellow or blue, with 1-2 light dots on the anal.

• Dolphin blue has a rather high, slightly compacted body and a large head with a characteristic convex forehead (in adult males) and thick lips. Young representatives of the dolphin are characterized by a gray-blue color with a slight silvery sheen and stripes of dark tone on the sides. In adult fish, the color of the fins and body is velvety blue. During spawning, the bulge on the male's forehead becomes yellow.

• Aulonocara Benshi characterized by a highly flattened elongated body. The forehead and body of the male are yellow, but the mouth, cheeks and gills are purple, on the sides there are 7-9 purple stripes vertically located. The female is dark brown with 8-9 dark stripes. Aulonocars grow in length up to 12 cm.

• Red cadango has a large head and mouth, with which it swallows large portions of water with plankton. In different parts of Lake Malawi, there are several varieties of cadango, which differ in color. As aquarium fish, representatives of the cadango with a bluish head and a yellowish or red body are popular. Some fish have 3 black spots on either side. Females are smaller and predominantly grayish in color.

• Meingano - also a dwarf species of cichlids with an elongated body and a rounded head. A low fin is located along the entire back.The color of the fish is dark blue with two stripes located horizontally and having a blue color. The edges of the fins and tail are bordered by a thin bluish stripe.

This group of cichlids inhabits the Amazon basin and other rivers in the tropical and equatorial regions that empty into the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, many species live in various shallow water bodies.

• Scalaria differs in a diamond-shaped, compressed structure with long fins, pectorals - thin, filamentous. The color can be varied.

• Oscar - a rather large fish with a reddish brick color and the presence of dark spots. The fins are round and dark in color.

• Severum Efasciatus has an oval body compressed on the sides. The color of fish is blue or bluish-gray, males have a red-colored area behind their heads. The dorsal and anal fins stretch along the entire body; in males, they are more elongated and red in color. Dark transverse stripes are located on the sides. The character of the fish is quite peaceful.

• Akara blue or blue does not differ in particularly large size, adult fish are 13-15 cm in length. The color of representatives of this species may differ slightly, but all are characterized by a blue or blue scale. It has a characteristic dark spot in the middle of the body and stripes towards the eyes. The fins are pointed in males and more rounded in females.

• Turquoise acara has a color corresponding to the name, on each scale there is a black dot, as well as on the fins. Males have larger fins than females and a characteristic bump on the back of the head. The fins are decorated with orange edging. The body also has a dark spot typical for all cancers.

• Umbrella cichlid - a dwarf species, the length of the fish is only 5-6 cm. The color is blue or yellow-blue, in males the color is much brighter than in females. The dorsal and anal fins are elongated. Pisces are quite peaceful in nature.

• Apistogram Agassiz or cichlid Agassiz also refers to small fish (5-7 cm), has a variety of colors, but the main color is considered to be yellow. A dark strip runs along the length of the body, the fins also have a darker border and patterns of dots of the same tone. Males have a brighter palette and elongated fins.

• Chromis handsome has an orange or red color with bright bluish dots all over the body. During spawning, the color becomes much brighter. Males and females do not differ in color; the average length of the fish reaches 10-15 cm.

• Discus characterized by the presence of several species, which differ in color and various patterns on the scales. The body of discus, strongly compressed at the sides, has a rounded shape. The dorsal and anal fins are located symmetrically, almost along the entire length of the body, but on the chest they are thin and elongated. The fish are quite large, about 25 cm long.

• Hongsloh apistogram It is distinguished by a bright color, but the main colors are yellow and red. On the sides there is a longitudinal dark or dark red stripe. Males predominate in size, their length is 6 cm, while in females - up to 4.5 cm. In addition, males are distinguished by a much richer color palette.

• Geophagus is represented by several species, they received their names from the scientists who described these fish: geophagus Steindahner, Weinmiller, Yurupar, Ipporanga, Pellegrini. The color of the fish depends on the specific species, but what they have in common are length, a slightly elongated body shape and a characteristic growth on the forehead in males. Some species have lateral stripes or dots.

• Threaded acara has a beige color with blue dots on the scales. The anal and pelvic fins are bright, multicolored, while the dorsal and caudal fins are blue, with several long rays.Females are distinguished by their large size, and males - brighter in color.

• Cichlis cupid does not differ in special size, reaches 10 cm. The color is orange in front, and the back, back and fins are blue. There are spots of a turquoise shade under the eyes, and a large dark one in the back. Individuals of different sexes do not differ much, but the general color can vary depending on the area of ​​origin.

• Tsikhlazoma Sedzhik has a slightly elongated body, slightly flattened laterally. Males have a gray color with a brownish tint, and the back is darker, and the belly and chest, on the contrary, are quite light, there are 7-9 transverse stripes on the sides. There is a characteristic fatty build-up on the head. Females are gray, with a brownish-turquoise tint. The fins have a black border, and the stripes are sharper than those of males.

In addition to American and African cichlids, their captive hybrids are also popular among aquarists.

• Flower horn with a reddish color and dark dots, creating bizarre patterns on the body. Males have a rather large outgrowth on the forehead, rich coloration and several long rays on the fins. Today there are several types of this fish.
• Red parrot has a rounded body with a small mouth, similar to a beak, which is why it got its name.

In addition, there are Asian cichlids, they are few in number, but despite this, they are also quite popular.

• Spotted etroplus characterized by the absence of scales on the operculum and head. The sides of the fish are yellowish, giving off a blue tint, the back is blue, brown or black, the belly is reddish-brown. Each scale has a point of red tone, and there is a black spot in the middle of the body. In addition, there are also a number of dark spots on the sides. The length of fish rarely reaches 8 cm.
• Etroplus striped has a disc-shaped body of greenish-brown color with darker transverse stripes on the sides and small dots covering the whole body.

In addition to the species described, the cichlov family is represented by many more decent varieties, with no less beautiful appearance and popularity among aquarists.

You will learn how to breed and care for Blue Dolphin cichlids in the following video.