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 the care of some of them there are certain nuances that you need to know in order for the fish to be healthy and strong, feel fine and not cause the owner any unnecessary problems.
What kind of fish are these?
In general, the cichlid family 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 well known due to less attractiveness or difficulty of care. But for experienced aquarists and beginners, they can also be of some interest, because many would be interested in having an exotic inhabitant.
What cichlids are considered dwarf
To simplify the classification, all cichlids are conventionally divided into groups - large, medium and small. Among the latter in recent years, a separate category has emerged - dwarf cichlids. Photos and descriptions of these beautiful fish will pleasantly surprise any connoisseur. However, some experts may be interested in: by what principle do some cichlids belong to dwarf ones, while others do not?
First of all, as the name implies, you should pay attention to size. Males in most species of cichlids are larger than females. Therefore, it is customary to focus on them. If their maximum length is not 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 fish. The dwarf group includes only species in which most of the representatives are calm, peace-loving. 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 they themselves or smaller ones.
Where do they live?
Before telling about the species of dwarf cichlids, it is worth mentioning briefly about their habitat.
He is quite large. On sale you can see fish originating in Asia, Africa and South America. Of course, this provides a huge variety: if you give a description of the species of dwarf cichlids, you have to write a whole book. This can be safely attributed to about fifty families of aquarium fish, each of which includes several species.
Most of them live in weakly flowing rivers or small lakes. Small sizes leave a certain imprint on the behavior of fish. They keep in packs and prefer nooks - 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 the aquarium, if you want the inhabitants to feel as comfortable as possible, live long and bring healthy offspring.
Cichlids of South America
If you start talking about the varieties of dwarf cichlids imported from South America, then first of all it is worth noting that they are the most numerous. The spread in size 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 families Apistogramma, Guianacara and Tahuantinsuyoa, males grow to 12 centimeters. By the way, the dwarf cockatoo cichlid is a family of Apistograms, a rather popular aquarium fish, which is very 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.
The smallest are representatives of the Nanochromis family. It includes eight species of fish, but even the largest males have a body length of not more than seven centimeters. But the exact opposite is Etia and Pelmatochromis. Some males in them reach 14 centimeters, due to which, according to the existing system, they should not be included in the number of dwarf cichlids at all. However, for all other signs, they are quite consistent - peaceful, calm, males strongly resemble females. Because of this, the specialists decided to make a small exception for them by writing to the appropriate group.
Fish from asia
The Asian family is the smallest. Science knows only three types of dwarf cichlids, whose homeland is Asia. Because of this, some experts prefer not even to separate them into a separate group. However, learning about them will still not be amiss.
We 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 actively bred in our country - even before the 1917 revolution!
All of them cannot boast of large sizes - the largest males are about 8 centimeters long. And the rest of the parameters are consistent with those features that combine dwarf cichlids. Therefore, despite their small numbers, they can be confidently called reference representatives of the family.
Choosing the right water
In general, aquarium dwarf cichlids are not too demanding on water. Throughout their history, they lived in relatively soft fresh water, often not too clean. Therefore, there are no special problems.
Soft water is considered optimal with a slight deviation in the direction of acidity - pH 6.5. But they are quite picky about temperature. Still, in the natural environment, fish live in the region of 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 stable 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 is slowing, the color scheme is getting poorer - the fish will no longer be so bright and attractive. They either do not spawn at all, or they 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 changes. Even a fluctuation of only two or three degrees can cause serious diseases and even death of fish. Therefore, it is advisable to install the aquarium at a distance from windows and radiators. And also protect it from drafts. Only in this case, the aquarist can be sure that his pets will be healthy and will please the owner not only with the riot of colors, but also with healthy offspring.
How to equip an aquarium?
The next stage is the proper design of the aquarium. On the one hand, it provides cichlids with maximum comfort. On the other hand, it will allow to shade their external attractiveness.
Let's start with the ground. In general, there are no preferences here - you can choose both coarse sand and fine pebbles. Cichlids do not have a habit of digging in the ground, so it is probably worth adjusting to the algae that you have chosen for the aquarium. The only thing to consider is its color. The darker the fish, the brighter the ground should be. However, this rule is already known to every novice aquarist, so you should not focus on it.
When choosing algae, there will also be no problems. Any plants that can grow densely enough to provide fish with a comfortable and safe shelter are perfect. As mentioned above, in the wild, dwarf cichlids often hide from predators in aquatic plants. Of course, in the aquarium there is no such threat, but nevertheless, in the thicket, the fish feel more comfortable. However, this does not mean that you need 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 will 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 hurt themselves) or specially treated driftwood. Thanks to them, the aquarium will acquire a special elegance and elegance, and cichlids will feel at home. But the use of sinks is undesirable. Over time, they increase the hardness of the water, and cichlids prefer soft water.
Suitable nutrition
But with nutrition, giving unequivocal advice is not easy. If only because among dwarf cichlids there are both species that prefer plant food and carnivores. Therefore, the diet should be made accordingly.
However, for everyone, live food will be the best choice - bloodworm, tubule, artemia, and for the smallest species, cyclops are 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 will be useful to add a certain amount of greens 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 the long absence of live food worsens the health of cichlids. Therefore, if there is no way to get bloodworms and tubule, try to pick up at least special granules - they are better balanced and contain almost all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
Optimal care
In leaving, cichlids are relatively unpretentious. It is enough to regularly clean - ideally half an hour after each feeding. However, if there are bottom fish in the aquarium that will collect the remains of a 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 - not more than one fifth of the total volume of the aquarium. Of course, the water should have a suitable temperature and not contain bleach. Therefore, it is advisable to defend the water - after collecting cold water from the tap, let it stand for a day or two in an enameled bucket. Then the temperature rises to room temperature, and the chlorine gradually evaporates.
There will probably not be other hassles when leaving. Despite the sonorous and obscure names, aquarium cichlids require very little attention.
We select neighbors
However, few aquarists, having established cichlids and populating them with an aquarium, decide to leave them in splendid isolation. Most will be interested in sharing neighbors with them. But here you need to be careful that the neighborhood does not cause trouble to either side or the other.
First of all, it is worth advising the catfish. Cichlids rarely sink to the bottom. Therefore, the bottom region will still be empty. Several large catfish will perfectly smooth the void, and at the same time eat the rest of the feed that has settled to the bottom. Thanks to this, cleaning will have to be much less common.
Many cyprinids can become a good choice. The main thing is to make sure that they are not too aggressive. For example, a flock of barbs will quickly make the life of miserable cichlids completely unbearable. Choose medium-sized, calm, peaceful fish. You can also advise not too large harakovidnyh fish, as well as melanotenia. Representatives of most other families will not be able to become good neighbors for cichlids.
Conclusion
This concludes our article. Now you know more about the different types of dwarf cichlids. Description and photos will make it possible to make an impression on them and avoid mistakes when breeding fish.