Cichlids -- pronounced "sicklids"-- are tropical (warm water) fish belonging to the family "Cichlidae". If you have ever fished, you may be familiar with the cichlids' cold water relatives, the centrarchids such as Bass, Bluegills, Pumpkinseeds, and Sunfish. Cichlids resemble these, but are more colorful and are noted for their interesting and diverse behavior.

First, knowledge is power. If you are trying to breed a particular fish, consult a good reference book, a knowledgeable pet shop or a local aquarium society-- like GCCA!. Many fish have very specific requirements; others will breed at the drop of a hat, under the most adverse conditions. Provide suitable habitat; large enough with appropriate type spawning sites for the type of fish being kept Start out with more that a pair.

Generally, cichlids do well if the water is changed regularly and tank and water conditions are kept clean and somewhat similar to their natural requirements. However, if there are factors stressing your cichlids (which can include overcrowding, high nitrates, nitrites, measurable ammonia, aggression, insufficient dark time, incorrect pH, incorrect temperature, poor foods, too much or too little food, etc.), their immune system will be compromised and they may become prone to disease or injury.

First consult one of the many books available on African Cichlids, a knowledgeable pet shop or a local aquarium society such as GCCA. GCCA's library offers books on breeding cichlids. Most African Cichlids are mouthbrooders. Some are egg layers, however the vast majority are mouthbrooders. This means that fertilization and fry development takes place in the female's mouth. Most mouthbrooders are harem spawners, in which the male mates with as many females as he can.

Most mouthbrooding cichlid females will hold fry for 14 to 28 days. During this time, they may become ematiated because they don't eat while holding fry. There are several reasons to strip mouthbrooding cichlids: To increase the brood size since the female may eat some portion of the spawn if you allow her to go to term. To extend the life of the female and her productivity so she can have more broods in a shorter period of time.

If you do weekly water changes and feed quality foods, this question shouldn't come up. It is inevitable that sometimes fry die. Is it 1 or 2 out of 100s? Or is it 5 or 6 out of 20? If it's the former, I wouldn't sweat it. A few dead fry is not out of the realm of normal. Especially with some inbred strains, genetics plays a large part. If inbreeding causes mutations such as curved spines, bent lips, etc.

Since many cichlids dig in the gravel, it is quite possible that your fish will uproot your plants. Some predominantly herbivorous cichlids may eat your plants. Other cichlids will tear up plants "for fun" and are efficient aquatic lawn mowers. If your cichlids chew up your plants, bits of leaves and roots can clog filters. Some plants require lots of light and some cichlids may not be comfortable with a lot of illumination.

That really depends on what kind of cichlids you will be keeping and the type of setup. If you are looking to set up a nice decorative tank for the family room, I would suggest either a power filter that hangs over the side of the aquarium (i.e. a Whisper power filter or a Marineland biowheel), or a canister filter (i.e. Magnum 350, or Fluval). Filters such as these can perform large amounts of filtration and keep tanks very clean.

There is a "Canberra & District Aquarium Society". They can be contacted under (02) 6252 5523. As far as I know they meet on every second Monday of a month. Welcome to Canberra and good luck with your impending move. Magica is correct - the Canberra and District Aquarium Society (CDAS) meets the second Monday of every month at Room 1, Griffin Centre, Bunda St, Civic. Meetings commence at 8pm, with trade table and library open around 7:30pm. You are very welcome to come along as a visitor.

Apple snails tolerate little amounts of salt if you slowly build up the concentration. Be sure that the salt is dissolved before you put it in the tank so that the snail won't get in contact with the pure stuff. If you see that the snails stay in their shell for more than a day, then lower the salt concentration (if it isn't too late :-).

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Small photo of HITH in an oscar; for the larger, clearer version, please check here (Courtesy of Adam of WorldCichlids). This is a disease common in large, flat-bodied fish such as cichlids and gouramis, known in short as HITHD (hole-in-the-head disease). I am going to leave the full explanation of causative theories and potential treatments to a very good page on the disease by World Cichlids. This is a not-so-good general sign of disease.