Home
 What's New
 About
 Preface
 Introduction
 Fish Anatomy
 Water Chemistry
 The Aquarium
 Plant Care
 Plant Species
 Food
 Disease
 Biotope Aquaria
   Ecosystems
   Country Database
 Fish Species
   Catfish
   Characins
   Cichlids
   Cyprinds
   Killifish
   Labyrinth Fish
   Livebearers
   Loaches
   Others
   Perches
   Rainbowfish
 Non-fish Species
 Breeding Fish
 Aquarium Photos
 Languages
   Chinese
   Croatian
   Finnish
   German
   Japanese
   Portuguese
   Spanish
 Bibliography
 Links
 Resources
 Rainforests
 Books
 Mongabay Sites
   Kids site
   Travel Tips
 News
 Contact



dog videos, cat videos, puppy videos, kitten videos, pet videos





CICHLIDS



SOUTH AMERICAN CICHLIDS


More than 225 species, with estimates of 300 species, of cichlids are found throughout South America. An estimated 75% of these inhabit the mighty Amazon River Basin. However, cichlids are not the most abundant fish in this river, with them making up only 6-10% of all fish species found there.


South America consists of three major water types: whitewater, clearwater (blue water), and blackwater. 

(1) Whitewater rivers pick up large amounts of sediments from the Andes giving the water a muddy-brown color. Whitewater receives its name from the white foam of the rapids ofthe upper regions. Whitewater river rivers lack abundant plant life. Most aquarium species are found in quiet, backwater areas like oxbow lakes. The water properties of white water rivers are: a pH from 6.8-7.1 and a dH of 3-5. The best example of a white river river is the Amazon River.

(2) Clear or blue water rivers are tributaries which flow through ancient Brazilian and Guyana rock beds where little sediment is released into the rivers. The waters of these rivers is very clear and allows plant growth. Clear water rivers have a pH of 6.9-7.5, and a water hardness of 5-12 dH. The Rio Xingu and the Rio Tocantins are such rivers.  

(3) Blackwater rivers are nutrient poor and tea or black in color from the tanic acid released from decaying vegetation. Blackwater is crystal clear and has been compared to distilled water due to its lack of dissolved minerals. Blackwater rivers are acidic (6.0 pH) and soft, with little measurable water hardness (0 dH). The Rio Negro is the most famous of the blackwater rivers.


Among South American Cichlids are the well-known Angelfish, Discus, and Oscar. Others include the Acaras, New World Dwarf Cichlids (Apistogramma and related), Eartheaters, and many others.

South American Cichlids differ greatly from one another in body shape, coloration, and survival habits. Since they differ so greatly, no general description of South American Cichlids, as a whole, can be accurately included.



Recent news

Charting a new environmental course in China

(05/21/2012) Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) works in more than 30 countries and has projects in all 50 of the United States. The Conservancy has over one million members, and has protected more than 119 million acres of wild-lands and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide. TNC has taken an active interest in China, the world's most populated nation, and in many important ways, a critical center of global development. The following is an interview with multiple directors of The Nature Conservancy's China Program.


New 'bony-tongue' fish discovered in Myanmar

(05/18/2012) A new species of arowana, a highly valued aquarium fish, has been described from southern Myanmar (Burma). The description is published in last month's issue of the journal Aqua.


Wildlife in the tropics plummets by over 60 percent

(05/15/2012) In 48 years wildlife populations in the tropics, the region that holds the bulk of the world's biodiversity, have fallen by an alarming 61 percent, according to the most recent update to the Living Planet Index. Produced by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the index currently tracks almost 10,000 populations of 2,688 vertebrate species (including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish) in both the tropics and temperate regions.


Educating the next generation of conservation leaders in Colombia

(05/14/2012) Colombia's northern departments of Cordoba and Bolivar are home to an abundance of coral reefs, estuaries, mangroves forests, and forests. Rich in both marine and terrestrial wildlife, local communities depend on the sea and land for survival, yet these ecosystems are imperiled by booming populations, overexploitation, and unsustainable management. Since 2007, an innovative education program in the region, the Guardians of Nature, has worked to teach local children about the ecology of the region, hoping to instill a conservation ethic that will aid both the present and the future.


Manta rays tracked by satellite

(05/11/2012) Satellite tracking technology has revealed new insights into the behavior of manta rays, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The findings are published in this week's issue of the journal PLoS.


Featured video: the oceans and Rio+20

(05/10/2012) A new video by Pew Environment Group and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) hopes to convince policy-makers attending the Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable Development this summer that urgent action is needed to save the ocean's from an environmental crisis.



what's new | tropical fish home | rainforests | news | search | about | contact



Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2009

The copy for fish.mongabay.com was written in 1994-1995. Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date. For this, I apologize. Feel free to send corrections to me.