Aquarium fish dwarf cichlids: types, description, content and compatibility

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Many experienced aquarists are familiar with dwarf cichlids. No wonder - these are very beautiful, elegant and bright fish that can decorate any aquarium with their presence. However, in caring for some of them, there are certain nuances that you need to know so that the fish are he althy and strong, feel great and do not cause unnecessary problems to the owner.

What are these fish?

In general, the family of cichlids is quite extensive - it includes hundreds of species of fish that live in warm countries and continents. Some of them have long gained immense popularity, and you can see them in many aquariums. Others are much less known due to their less attractiveness or difficulty in care. But for experienced aquarists and beginners, they may also be of some interest, because many would be interested in getting an exotic inhabitant.

Which cichlids are considered dwarf

To simplify the classification, all cichlids are conditionally divided into groups - large, medium and small. Among the latter, in recent years, a separate category has emerged - dwarfcichlids. Photos and descriptions of these beautiful fish will pleasantly surprise any connoisseur. However, some experts may be interested in: on what basis do some cichlids belong to dwarfs, while others do not?

First of all, as the name implies, you should pay attention to the size. Males in most species of cichlids are larger than females. Therefore, it is customary to focus on them. If their maximum length is no more than 12 centimeters, then this variety is usually referred to as dwarf.

However, although size is one of the most important factors, it is not the only one. It is also customary to monitor the behavior of the fish. The dwarf group includes only species in which the majority of representatives are calm, peaceful. That is, a mandatory requirement is high compatibility - so that the fish do not pose a danger to neighbors in a small aquarium, such as themselves or smaller.

Where do they live?

Before talking about the types of dwarf cichlids, it is worth briefly mentioning their habitat.

He's pretty big. On sale you can see fish, whose homeland is Asia, Africa and South America. Of course, this provides a huge variety: if you give a description of the types of dwarf cichlids, you have to write a whole book. About fifty families of aquarium fish can be safely attributed here, each of which includes several species.

Most of them live in slow flowing rivers or small lakes. Small sizes leave a certain imprint on the behavior of fish. They stay in flocks and prefer secluded corners - overgrown with dense algae or near snags. Which is understandable - in the wild, many predators do not refuse to eat fish 5-10 centimeters in size. Of course, this must be taken into account when designing an aquarium if you want the inhabitants to feel as comfortable as possible, live long and bring he althy offspring.

Cichlids of South America

If you start talking about varieties of dwarf cichlids imported from South America, then first of all it is worth noting that they are the most numerous. The size variation is also quite large. The smallest is Apistogrammoides - in this species, males rarely have a body length of more than four centimeters. But there are also quite large representatives of cichlids. For example, in the Apistogramma, Guianacara and Tahuantinsuyoa families, males grow up to 12 centimeters. By the way, the dwarf cichlid cockatoo belongs to the Apistogram family - a fairly popular aquarium fish, which is quite popular among connoisseurs.

Guests from Africa

African cichlids are slightly larger than their South American relatives. The average size here ranges from 8 to 12 centimeters.

Representatives of the Nanochromis family are considered the smallest. It includes eight species of fish, but even the largest males have a body length of no more than seven centimeters. But the complete opposite of them are Etia andPelmatochromis. They have some males reaching 14 centimeters, which is why, according to the existing system, they should not be included in the number of dwarf cichlids at all. However, in all other respects, they are quite consistent - peaceful, calm, males strongly resemble females. Because of this, the experts decided to make a small exception for them, writing them into the appropriate group.

Fish from Asia

The Asian family is the smallest. Science knows only three species of dwarf cichlids, whose homeland is Asia. Because of this, some experts prefer not to even single them out as a separate group. However, it will still be useful to learn about them.

Let's list all three species: Etroplus Cuvier, Iranocichla hormuzensis Coad and Etroplus maculatus. They have been known for a long time. For example, etroplus maculatus were discovered at the end of the eighteenth century! It is not surprising that in many countries they have become popular for a very long time. They were also actively bred in our country - even before the revolution of 1917!

All of them cannot boast of large sizes - the largest males are about 8 centimeters long. And in other respects, they are quite consistent with the features that unite dwarf cichlids. Therefore, despite the small number, they can be safely called the reference representatives of the family.

Choosing the right water

In general, aquarium dwarf cichlids are not too demanding on water. Throughout their history, they have lived in relatively soft fresh water, often not very clean. Therefore, there will be no special problems here.

Soft water is considered optimal with a slight deviation towards acidity - pH 6, 5. But they are quite picky about temperature. Still, in their natural environment, fish live in the tropics and even the equator. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that the temperature does not fall below +25 degrees, but in general it is better that it is consistently one to three degrees higher. In general, fish can survive at a temperature of about +23, but in this case they will eat worse, get sick more often. Growth slows down, the color scheme becomes poorer - the fish will no longer be so bright and attractive. They either do not go to spawn at all, or do it quite rarely. Therefore, if the apartment is not warm enough, it will be very useful to purchase a heater.

But the most dangerous are temperature fluctuations. Even a fluctuation of only two or three degrees can cause serious illness and even death of fish. Therefore, it is desirable to install an aquarium at a distance from windows and heating radiators. And also protect it from drafts. Only in this case, the aquarist can be sure that his pets will be he althy and will please the owner not only with the riot of colors, but also with he althy offspring.

How to set up an aquarium?

The next step is the proper design of the aquarium. On the one hand, it provides the cichlids with maximum comfort. On the other hand, it will allow to set off their external attractiveness.

Let's start with the ground. In general, there are no preferences here - you can choose both coarse sand and small pebbles. habitscichlids do not have to dig in the ground, so here it is more likely to adapt to the algae that you have chosen for the aquarium. The only thing to consider is its color. The darker the fish, the lighter the ground should be. However, every novice aquarist already knows this rule, so you should not focus on it.

When choosing algae, there will be no problems either. Any plants that can grow densely enough to provide the fish with a cozy and safe haven are fine. As mentioned above, in the wild, dwarf cichlids often hide from predators in aquatic plants. Of course, there is no such threat in the aquarium, but still, in the thickets, the fish feel more comfortable. However, this does not mean that it is necessary to plant with algae the entire available area. You can either densely plant one corner (about one third or a quarter of the area of the aquarium), leaving the rest of the area free, or plant plants at the back wall, leaving enough free space in front. After all, cichlids, although calm, are quite active fish, which it is desirable to give enough space for games and active swimming.

It would be useful to use various elements for decoration - large stones (the main thing is that they do not have sharp edges that the fish could get hurt on) or specially processed snags. Thanks to them, the aquarium will acquire a special elegance and elegance, and the cichlids will feel at home. But the use of shells is undesirable. Over time, they harden the water, and cichlids prefer soft water.

Proper nutrition

But with nutrition, it is not easy to give unambiguous advice. If only because among dwarf cichlids there are both species that prefer plant food and predatory ones. Therefore, the diet should be made accordingly.

However, live food will be the best choice for everyone - bloodworm, tubifex, brine shrimp, and for the smallest species, Cyclops is also suitable. Thanks to this diet, the inhabitants of the aquarium will receive all the necessary substances for a comfortable life and reproduction. But when choosing herbivorous fish, it would be useful to add some greenery to the diet - they need more vitamins, which are difficult to obtain from animal feed.

Of course, in extreme cases, fish can live on dry food - even on Daphnia and Gammarus. But a long absence of live food worsens the well-being of cichlids. Therefore, if it is not possible to get bloodworms and tubifex, try to pick up at least special granules - they are better balanced and contain almost all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

Optimal care

Cichlids are relatively easy to care for. It is enough to clean regularly - ideally half an hour after each feeding. However, if there are bottom fish in the aquarium that will collect the leftovers of the cichlid meal, you can reduce the number of cleanings to one per week.

In any case, you need to change part of the water weekly. Not too much - no more than one-fifth of the total volume of the aquarium. Of course, the water must have a suitabletemperature and do not contain bleach. Therefore, it is advisable to defend the water - having collected cold water from the tap, let it stand for a day or two in an enameled bucket. Then the temperature will rise to room temperature, and the chlorine will gradually evaporate.

There won't be any other hassle when leaving. Despite the sonorous and incomprehensible names, aquarium cichlids require quite a bit of attention.

Selecting neighbors

However, few aquarists, having got cichlids and settled them in an aquarium, decide to leave them in splendid isolation. Most will be interested in adding neighbors to them. But here you need to be careful so that the neighborhood does not cause trouble for either side or the other.

First of all, we should advise catfish. Cichlids rarely sink to the bottom. Therefore, the bottom area will still be empty. A few large catfish will perfectly smooth out the void, and at the same time eat the rest of the food that has settled to the bottom. Thanks to this, cleaning will be much less frequent.

Many cyprinids can be a good choice. The main thing - make sure that they are not too aggressive. For example, a flock of barbs will quickly make the life of unfortunate cichlids completely unbearable. Choose medium-sized, calm, peaceful fish. You can also advise not too large characteristic fish, as well as melanothenia. Representatives of most other families will not be good neighbors for cichlids.

Conclusion

This concludes our article. Now you know more about the different types of dwarf cichlids. Description andphotos will allow you to make an appropriate impression about them and avoid mistakes when breeding fish.