total cichlid no-nothing

[buggyboutbettas]

Just wondered what's the dif (if any). And I wanted some basic info to see if I want to eventually get some or not.

 

[cichlidtank]

-African Cichlids from Lake Malawi grow to around 4 or 5 inches usually (the common ones, like yellow labs/electrics or red zebras), but are very aggressive towards other fish, even if they arent going to consume them in any way.

-Africans from Lake Tanganyikan grow about the same size or larger than the Malawian Cichlids but vary greatly in their degree of aggression. Some common Tanganyikans are herbivores, some are carnivores, and some are omnivores. They are a little more expensive and hard to find than the Malawis but in my opinion are more varied and look more beautiful.

-American Cichlids are usually grow about 6 to 12 inches. They are aggressive towards anything that isn't an American Cichlid and will eat any small fish. They arent usually as aggressive as Lake Malawian Cichlids (unless youre talking about a Red Devil). In my opinion American Cichlids move a little slower and fluid than the fast moving Africans.

-American Dwarf Cichlids usually grow around 3.5 inches long. Dwarf Cichlids (like larger American Cichlids) usually need alot of care but may be put in community tanks due to their peaceful disposition. They may seem bullies but wont usually actually attack other fish.

-American (larger and Dwarf) Cichlids need quite a bit of care compared to Africans but Dwarf Americans can be put in community tanks. African Malawians tend to be very aggressive to anything other than other Malawians (but they can be put in a tank with an American Red Devil). Tanganyikans have a high level of care (compared to Malawians) and are more expensive and rare but have some amazing physical and behavioral traits. Whatever you go with, you should be careful to place Cichlids with like sized Cichlids from the same area (usually) with the same levels of aggression.

-Personally I would go for a 40 gallon Tanganyikan tank of a Duboisi, a Moorii (Kaiser II) or two, a Cylindricus, and one or two Orange Leleupi.

 

[vantgE]

cichlid tank said it very well but i'd also want to point out that africans prefer a hard acidic water while most americans prefer a softer less acidic water so you may want to put tap water into consideration when buying the fish
all a very hardy fish from what i've read except maybe the tangikans, some catfish will do well in an african tank

and minimumtank size for africans is 30 gallons

 

[thecichlidaddict]

It truly comes down to personal preference. Niether is better or easier then the other. There are so many varieties and sizes of both types that it's impossible to make generalizations. Africans and New Worlds range from tiny bite size fish to giant predetors, and everything in between.

While Vantage makes a point on water parameters, this really isn't a very important aspect. Fish adapt to what water you provide them, unless your water is really extreme on one end or the other.

The more you research before jumping into this, the better idea you will get as to what would suit what you're looking for. Did you have any ideas of how you wanted to aquascape? Were you hoping to keep any non-cichlid fish in the tank, and if so, what type? Do you like a few big fish or lots of small fish, or just a few small fish? Do you prefer crowded tanks or sparse? Where you hoping to breed, and if so did you want cichlids that raise their young themselves? Answering some of these questions can help narrow down the choices anyway.