The hobby of keeping cichlids can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. Most people just getting started in keeping these very intelligent aquarium fish have lots of questions. Even as an experienced aquarist, I seem to learn something new everyday. Here are some tips to get you started.

The first thing that you need to do when keeping cichlids is to consider what size that your cichlids will be when they are fully mature. If you have gotten bitten by the Oscar bug and have fallen in love with these very personable fish, you are simply going to need a large tank.

Oscars need at least a 55 gallon tank, and that's just for a pair of these big guys. And guess what, if your cichlids are smaller, then a smaller tank will do. Couldn't be any simpler than thay.

Secondly, water salinity and ph levels, among other variables, can be very different between the different species of these fish. Specifically, they can be very different between the different American Cichlids and African Cichlids. Salinity and ph levels can even be diverse between the different lakes in Africa that particular African Cichlids are native to.

If your cichlids are going to thrive, whether they are African or New World Cichlids, temperature and water chemistry must be monitored.

Keeping these beautiful and intelligent fish with plant life can be very challenging. Having plant in your cichlid tank may be impossible with certain varieties of cichlids. Again, research is very important.

South American Cichlid varieties seem to do a lot better with plant life than Africans do. After having said that, Oscars will simply dig them up and destroy your aquascape. Angels however, do very well with plants such as Amazon Swords.

Angel fish can be some of the most enjoyable cichlids in my opinion. They even do very well in community tanks because they are generally docile and tolerate plants very well.

Visit cichlid care to learn how to keep cichlids healthy, colorful and happy. And visit keeping cichlids to learn how to keep your cichlids stress free.