Aquarium enthusiasts prefer keeping cichlids due to various reasons including their attractive colour and interesting traits.
Keeping colourful cichlids infuses life in your home and enhances the aquarium's aesthetics.
Cichlids are no doubt the favourite freshwater fish choice for beginners as well as experienced pet owners.
It is important to learn all about cichlids and their behaviour before you decide on purchasing them.
This will ensure maximum adjustment from your side with the new cichlids and also temper your expectations.
It is not easy raising cichlids but breeding and growing them gives great joy and pleasure after you get used to it.
Aggressive temperament The first thing you would notice in your cichlid behaviour is their aggressive temperament.
Place a couple or more cichlids in the tank and soon, you will find one of them dominating and the rest retreating to hide behind caves.
Aggressive behaviour in cichlids can be due to various reasons including encroachment of other fishes into their territory or other fishes trying to steal their potential mate or food.
Aggression is displayed by the cichlids by spreading its fins to make it look large and by flaring its gills.
If this does not scare away the other fish, the cichlid will then push water at its rival by beating its tail.
This can further lead to lip locking, mouth wrestling and biting each other by chasing in circles.
Cichlid breeding behaviour Behaviour is not the same in all cichlids during breeding.
Open brooder cichlids lay eggs on logs, leaves, rocks, substrate and other open surfaces.
Cave brooders on the other hand lay their eggs in crevices or caves.
If you purchase cave brooders, you must ensure providing enough hiding places in the aquarium.
Mouth brooding cichlids carry eggs in the mouth until they hatch.
It is a great joy watching and breeding cichlids.
Brood are cared for by both parents in open brooding cichlids.
Female ensures there is enough oxygen supply for the eggs by fanning them while the male guards territory from predators.
In certain mouth brooders, a mother may eat up her young.
As they carry their fry for a long period of time, they tend to get hungry and once the fry is hatched, end up eating them.
If you do suspect that this is going to happen with your cichlids, it is a good idea preserving the baby cichlids by placing them in a separate tank.
Colouration Depending on their maturity and mood, certain cichlids tend to change their colour.
When it is time for them to breed, male cichlids for instance turn dark.
Dominance and shyness is exhibited by a particular type of cichlid known as the rift lake species.
They look pale when they are timid or stressed.
When they want to display their aggression, they show off their vibrant colours by turning dark.
Stress can occur due to moving them to another tank.
Cichlids like Maylandiacrabro change their colour when they experience stress.
It is a wonderful past time watching cichlid behaviour.
You can discover various interesting traits in them once you have adjusted to them.
Enjoy watching and enjoying their behaviour and they will certainly reciprocate.