Oscar Fish (Astronotus Ocellatus)

The Oscar fish is also known as Tiger Oscar, Albino Oscar, Velvet Cichlid or Marbled Cichlid. The genus name for this fish is Astronotus Ocellatus and it can be found from Rio Paraguay to Orinoco, in South America. The maximum length reached is 35cm (14 inches) and you will need a tank that is 120cm (48 inches) in length if you want this fish. The temperature of the water should vary from 22 to 26C (72 to 79F). You should feed them chopped meat, insects, worms, dried food and crustaceans.

Plenty of people have Oscar fish in their aquariums, as they have a long lifespan (10 years) and their personality is quite distinct. This fish is very intelligent and they are even able to learn tricks. They can learn who gives them food and they will react differently to them. Since each of them is unique in their own way, it’s a pleasure having one.

There are a number of patterns and colors on an Oscar fish, so they have names like Albino, Red Fire, Tiger, Zebra and Red.

While the reputation of the Oscar fish says that he’s quite aggressive, this isn’t true. They got this reputation because they enjoy eating anything that fits in the mouth. If you compare these fish with other Cichlids, they’re actually a bit mellow and in plenty of cases they will be bullied by other fish. Since they are territorial fish, they might become aggressive when the pair is spawning. You might also have issues when the tank is too small for them.

Oscar fish should be placed only together with bigger fish, because smaller fish will get eaten by them.

Because Oscar fish enjoy digging, you shouldn’t place rooted plants in their aquarium. If you do, the fish will keep digging and moving the gravel.

The Oscar pair will clean a site for them to spawn, usually on a rock. After the eggs are released, they will adhere on that rock and the parents will guard them both. A few days later the eggs will hatch and they will be moved to a sand pit for another week.

Malawi Golden Cichlid (Melanochromis auratus)

The Malawi Golden Cichlid is a 11cm (4.3 inches) fish when it’s the male. The female can get to a length of 9cm (3.5 inches). It can be found in Lake Malawi, East Africa and it needs a 90cm (36 inches) tank to live in, with a water temperature of 22 to 25C (72 to 77F). He likes to eat dried food, crustaceans, plant matter, insects and worms.

The sides are a bit depressed and the fish is a bit elongated. If you watch the caudal fin you will see that its end is a bit concave, with the anal and dorsal fins being rounded.

The female and the male Malawi Golden Cichlid are different, with the male having a dark brown color, with a band that is pale on the sides, running from the caudal peduncle to the forehead. The bases of the anal and caudal fins are darker, while the back is colored yellow. The color of the dorsal fin will be blue/turquoise.

As for the female, the main color is yellow (golden) and she has three bands that are black/brown, with yellow fins and red/orange dorsal fin tips.

This species of fish is an aggressive one, and it should be in a shoal, with plenty of roots and rocks inside the aquarium, so they can hide behind them. If you put plants that are more robust, they will probably not get attacked by the fish.

The best place to keep the Malawi Golden Cichlids is in an aquarium where there are fish from the same species. If you do put them together with fish of other species, make sure they have a similar temperament and they’re large enough. If you do combine species in the same aquarium, keep an eye on them to make sure they get along. If you put small fish in the same aquarium with a Malawi Golden Cichlid, they will probably get eaten.

The spawning process will happen at the bottom of the tank and it will take between 22 and 24 days for the eggs to incubate.

You should only keep this species if you’re experienced in keeping fish.

Malawi Blue Cichlid (Pseudotropheus Zebra)

The Malawi Blue Cichlid is a fish that gets up to 15cm (6 inches) in length and lives in Lake Malawi, East Africa. The length of the aquarium should be 90cm (36 inches) or more and the water temperature between 22 and 25C (72 to 77F). He enjoys eating insects, worms, plant matter, crustaceans and dried food.

This is a high backed, squat Cichlid that has a bulging forehead, thick lips and a short caudal peduncle. Taking a look at this fish you will see pointed and elongated anal and dorsal fins.

The Malawi Blue Cichlid goes through a number of color phases, with the most common one being a pale blue, with 7 or 8 transverse bars that are blue/black. The ventral, caudal and dorsal fins are all blue.

Another of the color phases that this fish goes through is a blue that doesn’t have the transverse bars I mentioned before. In other cases, the color is white. Another example of a color phase for the female is the blue/white one, with brown, orange or black markings.

Quite the aggressive fish, the Malawi Blue Cichlid will do well when in a shoal. Just make sure you put some roots and rocks inside the aquarium, so they can hide behind them. If the plants you put inside are robust enough, they will probably be OK with the Cichlids.

This fish should be kept in an aquarium together with others from the same species. If you do want to put other types of fish in the same aquarium make sure they have the same type of temperament. Still, make sure you supervise them, to make sure they’re getting along. Smaller fish should be kept out of the tank, as they will get eaten by the Cichlids.

The female and the male will spawn at the aquarium’s bottom. The incubation for the small number of eggs takes between 22 and 24 days.

Keeping the peace between your Cichlids

Have you noticed that your African Cichlids are acting aggressive towards the other fish in your aquarium? Unfortunately most species of Cichlids are naturally aggressive. They can be quick to claim their own territory in the aquarium, and will not cease in chasing other fish, often driving them to exhaustion.

You may have noticed that some tropical fish in the aquarium are hiding in the top part of the tank, and might even be swimming sideways. Unfortunately this indicates that the fish has been forced out of the communal area by a more dominating and aggressive fish. They are out on on a limb with nowhere left to go. Usually this will mean that the fishes life will soon end.

How can you put an end to this aggressive behavior before it gets out of hand?

If you are serious about stopping this aggressive Cichlid behavior you must consider two aspects. The male to female ratio in the tank, and how many structured areas you have provided to the fish.

It is extremely important for Cichlds to have hiding spots and structures. If you have more areas of cover in the tank, there will be more opportunities for the Cichlids to claim their own territory. If there is too little wood and rocky areas in the aquarium, the other fish will become targeted by the dominant Cichlid males. But if you have too much cover your tank can become very difficult to clean and this can lead to disease or toxic levels of waste in the water.

The safest bet would be to closely observe the behavior of your fish while starting with just a few pieces of wood and rock in the aquarium. If you notice the fish competing for a space to dominate, you can then add more pieces of wood and rock to the aquarium.

It is also very important to gain an understanding of your female to male ratio. The females will often get chased by the males relentlessly, when it is time to breed, and if you have too many males in the tank, the female Cichlids will have no time to rest or recover. Your female fish will eventually become very stressed and surcome to an early death .

Male Cichlids will become aggressive towards each other due to the competition over the females. This is especially a problem when there are too many females per male, so aim to keep only one male for every three females.

With a medium sized Cichlid costing at least $25 you don’t want your fish dieing or it will become a very expensive hobby. With the right knowledge and dedication, a successful breeding problem would no doubt prove very profitable.

Whether you choose to breed your Cichlids or not, keeping a Cichlid aquarium can be a very rewarding and pleasurable experience.