All Lake Victoria cichlids will however appreciate the same water chemistry. Lake Victoria is filled with a high level of dissolved minerals from the surrounding area
and the water is therefore very hard. If you have soft tap water and need to increase the hardiness you can either purchase a commercial buffer from your fish store,
or use naturally occurring items such as corals, limestone and shells as aquarium decorations. The water in Lake Victoria is alkaline and you should keep the pH
between 7.2 and 8.6 in the aquarium. Since Lake Victoria is a very large lake, the huge water mass will prevent any rapid changes in water chemistry, temperatures
etcetera. Lake Victoria cichlids can adapt new conditions, but the changes have to be small and gradually. Allowing the pH value in the aquarium to shift rapidly
between 7.2 and 8.6 is dangerous to the fish even though it is technically within their preferred pH range. The water temperature should be kept between 74 – 78
degrees F.
Some of the Lake Victoria cichlids have been breed in aquariums. The Astatotilapia brownie is considered to be one of the easier Lake Victoria cichlids to spawn.
Astatotilapia brownie has developed in Lake Victoria and can be found nowhere else in the world. Since it grows no larger than 12 centimeters it is comparatively easy
to provide it with a relatively large aquarium where it will thrive. Astatotilapia brownie used to be known as Haplochromis brownie and is still sometimes referred to
as a “Haplo cichlid”. Neochromis rufocaudalis is another Lake Victoria cichlid that is known to spawn in aquariums. Keeping at least three female Neochromis
rufocaudalis with one male is advisable, since they male can harass the females during the breeding period. Neochromis rufocaudalis cichlids are sometimes sold as
“Nigricans”.
Livebearers
Livebearers will not lay eggs, but give birth to free-swimming offspring. The eggs have been fertilized inside the body of the female and the offspring has developed
inside of her until they are large enough to be born. This section contains information about livebearing fish. Seahorses and pipefish are sometimes considered to be
livebearing species, but you will find information about them in the Marine Aquarium sections instead.
Livebearing fish species are found in several fish families. A lot of the most commonly kept aquarium species belong to the family Poecilidae. This large family
contains such popular species as the Platy, Guppy, Swordtail and Molly. Livebearers from other families than Poecilidae are also sometimes kept by aquarists, but they
are much rare. Halfbeaks, splitfins, freshwater stingrays and the “four-eyed” fish known as Anableps anableps,are all examples of livebearers from other families that
can be kept by more experienced aquarists. You can keep wild caught livebearers as well as cultivated domestic species. The cultivated varieties are often equipped
with features that would make them an easy target for predators in the wild and they can therefore only survive in aquariums.
A lot of the popular beginner fishes for novice aquarists are livebearers and livebearers are known to spawn in captivity even when kept by less experienced aquarists.
There are naturally exceptions to this rule and some livebearers are very hard to breed in captivity. They might for instance require a very particular diet or water
conditions. In some livebearing species the females will often miscarry and give birth to the embryos to soon.
Since the male livebearer has to fertilize the eggs while they are still inside the female, all male livebearers have developed some form of reproductive organ that
can be inserted into the female. Depending on the specific species, you will find one of two different forms of reproductive organs on the male livebearer. If you keep
a livebearing tooth carp, the reproductive organ on the fish is called Gonopodium. If you keep livebearers from the families Goodeidae and Hemirhamphidae, the
reproductive organ will instead be named Andropodium. One of the main differences between the two variants is that an Andropodium will fold when the male inserts it
into the female, while a Gonopodium will flip forward.
Livebearers belong to many different families and are found in various environments in different parts of the world, and their requirements and behavior therefore will
naturally vary from species to species. There are however a few general rules that are true for most livebearers. You should always research your particular
livebearing species as well, since it might one of the exceptions to the general rules. Generally speaking, livebearers are schooling fish and they will therefore do
best in your aquarium if your buy at least four specimens. A male livebearer can be quite aggressive towards other fish of the same species, and keeping one male with
at least three females is therefore a good idea. When there are several females, the amount of harassment will be spread out over several individuals and each female
will be less stressed. A majority of the livebearing species will prefer alkaline water where the pH is between 7.0 and 7.8. The water should be hard or medium hard.
Malawi Cichlids
Lake Malawi is one of the Great Rift Valley lakes on the African continent, and just like the other Great Rift Valley lakes it is famous for its rich wild life.
Aquarists appreciate the myriad of different cichlid species than can be found in Lake Malawi. Lake Malawi is a 40,000 year old lake and a lot of the cichlid species
have developed in Lake Malawi and can be found nowhere else in the world. Lake Malawi is a large lake and contains several different environments: the rocky shores,
the sandy bottom and the large open water areas. Malawi cichlids are found in all these environments and they have developed to fit into each niche. When you keep
Malawi cichlids in your aquarium it is therefore important that you know which niche they inhabit in Lake Malawi, since different cichlids will appreciate different
set ups.
Lake Malawi is 560 kilometers long and 75 kilometers wide at the widest point, which gives it a total surface area of almost 30,000 square kilometers. Three different
countries share Lake Malawi: Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique. Lake Malawi is therefore known under several different names, including Lake Nyasa, Lake Niassa and Lake
Nyassa. The old European name for Lake Malawi is Livingstone\'s Lake. Water enters Lake Malawi chiefly via the Ruhuhu and the Shire River is the major outlet.
Aquarists usually divide Malawi cichlids into two main groups: Mbuna cichlids and Peacock cichlids. Mbuna means rock-dweller in one of the local languages, and it is a
very suitable name for these cichlids since they inhabit the shallow and rocky regions along the shores of Lake Malawi. Mbuna cichlids are also found around the shores
of the islands in Lake Malawi. Mbuna cichlids will typically display a strong, pastel coloration. The male is more vividly colored than the female, but if you keep
only female Mbuna cichlids in your aquarium the dominant female can start to display a more striking coloration. When two male Mbuna cichlids live near each other, the
weakest one can dampen his colors and look more like a female in order to reduce aggression. You should never keep two male Mbuna cichlids in the same aquarium unless
you have a very large aquarium where they each male can claim his own territory. It is important that create natural territorial borders when you decorate the aquarium
and the males must be able to stay out of each others sight. Since Mbuna cichlids spend their lives among rocks, caves and crevices it comes as no surprise that they
are cave breeders.
The Peacock cichlids are instead found in the open waters in Lake Malawi. In the wild, Mbuna cichlids and Peacock cichlids hardly ever meet each other and it is not
advisable to house them in the same aquarium. The name Peacock is derived from the vibrant coloration displayed by the male Peacock cichlids. Female Peacock cichlids
have a duller and more camouflaging coloration. Peacocks are often carnivores, but some of the species feed on zooplankton. Peacock cichlids are ovophile
mouthbrooders, which means that they female PeacMarine Aquarium
Marine aquarium fish - Anthias
Anthias fish - Copyright www.jjphoto.dk
In this section of AC Tropical Fish, you will find information about all kinds of marine aquariums and the creatures that inhabit them. In addition to both rare and
commonly kept species of marine aquarium fish you can find information about a long row of other maritime beings that can be kept in aquaria – perhaps you wish to try
keeping sea anemones, jellyfish or an octopus?
For many fish groups, such as angelfish, blennies, pufferfish, and seahorses, we have special sections with detailed articles about popular as well as more unusual
species. We also have sections about stationary creatures like corals, gorgonians, and sea anemones, as well as sections focused on mobile invertebrates such as
nudibranchs, sea stars, snails, and shrimps. Last but not least, we have included a section focused on all the different types of equipment that is utilized by marine
aquarists.