Cichlid Fish Care
 Cichlids are famous for their aggressive behavior and fights with the other fish in the tank. It is like having a naughty child in your house who digs up anything unusual and pokes its nose in almost every visible thing. Many people are of the opinion that keeping a cichlid can be a bothering task but with proper care and knowledge it is possible to tame these notorious creatures. Let us study first about cichlid behavior—
Cichlids are known for their aggressive behavior. The strongest male becomes dominant and indulges in fight with its opponents. The female are also chased by male cichlids for mating.
Reducing aggressive behavior: It is possible to control the famous aggressive behavior by following certain rules—
- Keep the female/ male ratio at 3:1. This would ensure that male has less opponents to fight and more female to choose instead of killing a poor soul.
- Pick up the species which have a similar behavior pattern. It means that there are different species some are less aggressive and some are more aggressive. If you keep the more aggressive cichlids with the less aggressive ones then the latter are likely to be killed in a short span of time.
- Lower the water temperature. Keeping a low temperature keeps a check on their hyperactive nature and thus lowers aggression.
Taking care of cichlids
This can be done by following the key factors like water conditions, nutrition and temperature.
Water conditions for Cichlids:
- It is very important to keep the pH level of the water between the levels of 7.4-8.4
- Cichlids are in the habit of digging up everything so avoid using any kind of water plants. It is better to go for rocks which should be firmly fixed at the bottom of tank.
- The tank should have a good filtration system for better flow of water. For small tanks sponge filters can be used. Filters should always be kept clean.
Nutrition for Cichlids:
- Cichlids have different food requirements so it is advised top research on the type of your cichlid before buying its food.
- They love to eat and will not stop eating even if they have bloated themselves so feed them small quantities of food after regular intervals.
- They should be ideally fed on food comprising spirulina and vegetables which is easy to digest as cichlids take a long time to digest their food.
Temperature for Cichlids:
- The ideal temperature for cichlids is 76-80F, in some scenarios it can be slightly higher at 82F.
- Maintaining a higher temperature will increase their metabolism and help them in growing rapidly.
- If the cichlids aggressive behavior increases then the temperature can be lowered.
- The aquarium should not be exposed to direct sunlight as it may increase the water temperature.
- It would be better to invest in a heater and regulate the aquarium temperature with it.
After going through this article you must have realized that keeping cichlids is not a difficult task after all. They are a bit different from other fishes but with proper care they are sure to entertain you with their antics.
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