Cichlids have been favorite aquarium fishes for almost a century. Discus, Angels, Kribs, and Rams are well-known cichlids, which are often kept with non-cichlids in a community aquarium, although they are best maintained in a special tank. Cichlid keeping experienced a huge increase in popularity soon after the first species were exported from Africa’s rift lakes; these fishes, with their gorgeous colors, were so different from those kept previously that they stole the hearts of aquarists all over the world. Following the advent of rift lake cichlids their Neotropical cousins also received increased attention from hobbyists. Aquarium clubs specializing in cichlids have been formed in many countries and information about these wonderful creatures is spread via numerous magazines. Every year cichlids fascinate more and more aquarists with their splendid coloration and interesting behavior. During the past decades, aquarists as well as scientists have studied cichlids in their native waters, discovering a wealth of information about their natural behavior. This knowledge, together with that derived from many years of keeping and breeding these fishes, has proved to be of vital importance to successful cichlid keeping, and is here brought together in a single volume. This book has been written by 12 authors, each of them a specialist for many years in his or her field, and is the distillation of a total of more than 300 years experience in keeping cichlids. The result is an invaluable guide to the essentials of enjoying cichlids.
