Want to learn more about the Cuban Cichlid? Read on to discover more about the freshwater Cuban Cichlids and the amazing variety in this range…
The Cuban Cichlid can be best classified as an angel fish of freshwater origins. The pronunciation for this fish is ‘sick lid’ and not a literal translation of how it is spelt. There are approximately 1300 or more species in this group of fish and most of them are not even recognized by people who are fond of fish. The Oscars and freshwater angelfish are two kinds of cichlids. However, a few fish which are found in brackish water in coastal areas are not classified as cichlids. The Cichlidae family includes 482 families of fish and therefore there are over 25,000 species all over the world.
The most interesting part of owning Cuban cichlids is to see how they impart parental care to the eggs and young. They are extremely devoted as parents and it is an amazing site to see them care for the young ones. They have an advanced form of child care. Most of the cichlids are mouth breeders and once the female lays the eggs she keeps them in her mouth where they are fertilized by the male and then they are retained their until the eggs hatch.
Evolution of the Cichlids
Fish can be classified into five genuses: the bony finned fish, the hagfish and the sharks, the lobe finned fish. There are 57 orders of fish and 42 of these fall in to bony finned fish category. Some of the other fish in this category are catfish, pike, cod and salmon along with herrings and eels. The perch like fish which are classified as Perciforms are considered the best in terms of generating new varieties in their genus. They have almost 148 families and 1500 genus. As cichlids make up a substantial number of the Perciform fish genus they are perhaps the second largest family of fish.
Diversity of the Cichlid
The cichlids are abundantly present all over the waters of the world and come in a unique size, shape or color which is relevant to the region of freshwater that they are found in. An interesting characteristic is that they are found only in freshwater and are very good at taking care of their offspring in an advanced form as compared to other species of fish. This is one reason why the cichlids are extremely popular by fish aficionados and people who like to maintain aquariums.
Cichlids Maintenance in the Aquarium
Cuban cichlids are very popular with aquarists for a myriad of reasons. The basic reason is that they are very easy to maintain and they are available in a different variety of sizes and color. Furthermore they make for a very lively addition in the aquarium and they can do different tricks and have unique movements. You can house the cichlids in a fish tank or in an aquarium and they can actually breed their. You will require a large tank for the cichlids because they are fond of movement and require large space. The basic aquarium tank should start from 10 gallons or more and make sure you select the right Cuban cichlids species because they’re easy to maintain for beginners.
