You call the people you got the fish from in the first place to find out what to do with all these babies. They tell you they don't have room for any more, that you should join a local fish club, and hopefully they have the name of someone in that club for you to contact. You do just that, and pretty soon, you're their newest member. An auction comes up... you split your babies into groups of 5 to a bag, and you sell them in the auction. Unfortunately, temptation has gotten the better of you and you have purchased more fish with what you should have been taking home in your pocket. You need another aquarium. Your wife is going to kill you.

But never fear! Your fish will breed again, and so will these... pretty soon you'll be a fish breeding fool. People will flock to the auctions to buy your fish. You'll put up a website. You'll write some articles. You'll buy a fancy camera and learn how to take great fish pictures. You'll soon be a world-famous author, international lecturer, and gentleman of great renown!

Of course, you might be female, in which case you should make the appropriate substitutions above. :)

African Cichlids are some of the most stunning and interesting fish in the world. Most of them are small enough to live in groups in home aquariums. It's really no wonder that people fall so deeply in love with these fish.

When the term "African Cichlids" is used, most people in the fish hobby think of the fish that are native to the three main African lakes... Malawi, Tanganyika, and Victoria. The truth is, there are cichlids all over Africa... on Madagascar, in the Congo, in the Nile, and in other rivers, volcano lakes, swamps and drainage ditches everywhere.

Lake Malawi is a rift lake, and is thus long, narrow, and very deep. Only the shallower areas are inhabited by fish, as the deeper zones are devoid of adequate levels of oxygen. The rocky areas along the shores and islands are perfect breeding grounds for algae, which is the ideal food for the brightly-colored 'mbuna' (a word that means 'rock fish' in the native tongue) that is so popular with aquarists. There are also sandy and grassy stretches between the rocky outcroppings where groups of haplochromine-types live and breed. These fish are larger and more laterally compressed than the mbuna, and while the males are usually quite colorful (think metallic), females tend to be rather drab. With caution, many species can be mixed together in the same tank to create a stunning display.

For more information on Lake Malawi, see our article, Introduction to Lake Malawi on AfricanCichlids.net.

Lake Tanganyika is the largest of the rift lakes in terms of water volume. At 4700 feet deep it covers 12,700 square miles. The aquatic life here is the most diverse of all the African lakes and its niches closely resemble those found in the oceans.

In addition to the many and diverse cichlid species, the lake hosts sponges, jellyfish, crustaceans and other forms of life usually thought of as sea life. Puffer fish can even be found in the lake's estuaries.

The cichlids of the lake include the both the largest and smallest cichlids in the world and everything in between. There are fish that live very large schools in open water, deeper water fish that come up at night to feed on these schoolers, fish that burrow into the mud, wedge themselves deep into cracks in rocks and wood, and even fish that hoarde empty snail shells in which to breed and hide. As with Lake Malawi, there are some more colorful fish that live on the rocks near the shore, feeding on the algae there. There are also fish in the lake that create gigantic craters in the sand in which to attract a mate and breed. This makes the lake floor look much like a moon-scape. The fish that breed here are very flashy and are easy prey for diving birds and other animals. For this reason, these fish breed at the same time in very large numbers to improve their chances of survival and success.

Though there isn't quite as much 'color' in the fish from Lake Tanganyika, there is plenty of sparkle and flash, and quite a lot of very interesting behavior. The diversity there is a result of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution and specialization.

A very amazing documentary was made by National Geographic called Jewel of the Rift. This documentary focuses on behavior and interrelationships between species... survival, feeding and breeding tactics... and is even a little funny with the 'roving mobs of transvestite dwarves' (I've got your attention now, right?). I highly recommend this video, but alas, it is difficult to find sometimes.

For more information on Lake Tanganyika, see our article, Introduction to Lake Tanganyika on AfricanCichlids.net.

Lake Victoria is the second largest lake the in the world, and was home in the last century to more than 600 different species of cichlids. Due in its largest part to bad decisions made by humans, we have already lost an estimated 200 species, and those remaining are still clearly in danger.

To learn more about the plight of Lake Victoria and its surrounding satellite lakes and swamps, see our article, Lake Victoria - A Brief History on our club's site, The Hill Country Cichlid Club.

What are we doing about it and what can you do to help? Check out another of our Lenses, A New Hope for Lake Victoria Cichlids.

Africa is absolutely huge, and there is water all over the place. Where there is water, there will likely be fish, and where there are fish, there are likely cichlids occupying a niche.

Some of the most popular aquarium cichlids come from the rivers of West Africa. These fish often occupy the same niches as the smaller riverine cichlids from South and Central America and exhibit many of the same behaviors.

There are volcano crater lakes, such as Borombi Mbo, in which a few cichlid species have evolved. These fish are considered 'rare' in the hobby.

Madagascar is well known for its unusual flora and fauna, and its cichlids are no exception. Some of these fish can be quite large and very beautiful. The Paratilapia polleni is stunning with its nearly jet-black body and bright spangles all over. Sadly, this fish is threatened in the wild.

We keep a variety of African Cichlids from the three main African lakes: Malawi, Tanganyika, and Victoria. We have a special interest in Victorian cichlid conservation efforts. Here you'll find pictures and articles on the species we keep and other articles written by people who share our passion for these wonderful fish.

Please visit our site, AfricanCichlids.net. We have a plethora of articles, over 500 pictures in our gallery, an active forum, puzzles, shopping and more!