‘Lamprologus’ signatus displacement
Cichlids DO fight and/or get beaten up!
If you are new to cichlids, especially African cichlids and more specifically mbuna, you should rarely be surprised when you find one of your fish upside down in your tank looking like it got drug across the driveway. Cichlids fight, get picked on, and get killed by other cichlids. Know this before you set up a cichlid tank.
The Julidochromis dickfeldi nurseries
At present, I have to two J. dickfeldi nurseries going – one in a 33g long and one in a 20g long. The 20g is species only. The 33g also contains a lone male ‘Lamprologus’ ocellatus.
Mud tunnelers
Interested in the mud tunneling dwarves of Lake Tanganyika? Check out the latest edition of Cichlid News. The magazine requires a subscription but it’s well worth it.
Ben Ochart Interview
If you’re like me, you utilize all resources at your disposal to find information about cichlids. This includes YouTube. In fact, there are numerous YouTube channels dedicated to fish keeping, especially cichlids. I visit several of them regularly.
One day a few weeks ago, while I was looking for some information, I stumbled across a YouTube channel I had not seen before. Intrigued, I decided to check it out. I’m glad I did. The channel is named after the guy who runs it – Ben Ochart, also known as Ben O’Cichlid.
Another great tool for your fish room!
Back in 2016, I posted about tools that every fish keeper should have on hand. Not much has changed from that list. However, there is one thing I omitted that might be just as important as any of those – a floor fan.
Happy cichlids? Based on what?
What does it mean when someone says their fish are “happy” and how do they know?
Julidochromis dickfeldi brood care
Because I seem to have lots of success breeding Julidochromis dickfeldi, it should come as no surprise that I have a lot to write about them. In a previous post where I described some observations of the species, I indicated that the female was twice the size as the male. I should point out a couple of things about that statement. One, I have not removed any of my adult pairs to vent them. Two, the species profile on the Cichlid Room Companion states that dickfeldi exhibit sexual dimorphism in size – the male being larger than the female. Ad Konings’ dickfeldi description in Tanganyika Cichlids in Their Natural Habitat (4th Ed.) does little to shed light on the subject. However, he states that female J. marlieri and J. regani are almost always larger than males, and that female J. ornatus and J. transcriptus may be as well. I can’t say for certain which is typically larger, the male or the female. Nonetheless, males and females in a dickfeldi breeding pair are not the same size.
2021 American Cichlid Association (ACA) Convention
It’s just about that time. In fact, it’s really past time. Because the ACA Convention was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, this year’s version will be the first one in two years. If you haven’t already, mark your calendar.
Reducing cross tank contamination
During your fish keeping journey, you hopefully won’t have to experience any of the multitude of maladies that affect tropical fresh water fish. Inevitably, however, you will if you’re in this hobby long enough. Furthermore, many pathogens that affect fish are contagious and can spread within your tank and across tanks. Though there are numerous pharmacological options to treat bacterial, viral, and fungal illnesses, that is a post for another day.