Cichlid Breeding

If you’re in Portland, don’t make plans for this Saturday afternoon (May 8th), as world renowned cichlid expert will speak at an event sponsored by the Greater Portland Aquarium Society at 2 p.m.

Ad Konings is an ichthyologist, author, publisher, photographer and environmentalist, who trained in medicine and biology. He is best known for his research on African rift lake cichlids. Konings is the founder of Cichlid Press, a line of guidebooks that are the standard reference on African cichlids. He is a popular speaker and has traveled the world lecture circuit.

The event will be at the Friendship Masonic Temple at 5626 N.E. Alameda Street in Portland. It is free for members of GPAS; $5 for non-members.

Via  Oregon Live

The Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa has added a 700 gallon freshwater aquarium for 150 African Cichlids to its Discovery Center. The selected Cichlids come from the Mbuna and Utaka groups from Lake Malawi, on the borders of Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania in southeastern Africa. Chad Comer, the zoo’s Animal Curator, says that they have recreated the Cichlids rocky habitat.

You can read further, Blank Park Zoo. (continue reading…)

Intro to Cichlid Breeding

I’ve been in the hobby for quite some time and while technologically the industry has never been as advanced and efficient, it also has never been as complicated for the home aquarist. In the past there was a far smaller selection of products, fish and information, so things were rather straight forward. You would ask someone that worked at a local pet store for advice, read a fish book or perhaps get lucky and meet a local fish breeder willing to share their knowledge. The growth of both the hobby and technology has led to quite a lot of innovation and variety, which I fully support. However, it does make things rather overwhelming for those new to the hobby. So here I will try to give you some history and information on Cichlids, Cichlid breeding, what you will need and how to care for your Cichlids.

About Cichlids

All Cichlid species belong to the family Cichlidae, each having its own characteristics and requirements. There are at least 1300 scientifically described species, though numerous new species are discovered annually and many species remain undescribed. Thus, the actual number of species is unclear, with estimates varying between 1300 and 3000 species. Cichlids have become quite popular freshwater aquarium fish as most are small to medium sized, have a beautiful variety of shapes and colors, breed readily and practice brood care in captivity. Some of the most popular aquarium fish are Cichlids, including freshwater Angelfish, Discus fish, Oscar fish and Convict Cichlids. Thus, Cichlid breeding has become quite popular as more aquarist try breeding Cichlids themselves.

Cichlids are found throughout the world, including Africa, Asia, South America, Central America and even North America. Thus Cichlids are often categorized by their region, in which there are three main groups of Cichlids: African Cichlids, South American Cichlids and American Cichlids. African Cichlids mostly come from the Great African Rift Lakes: Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria. South American Cichlids are found throughout the Amazon River Basin, while American Cichlids are found mostly across Central America and a few species in North America.

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