prefer african to south-american?

[convict78]

seems like everyone here prefers african ciclids to south american ciclids?i have never had africans before,am i missing something?other then color they all mostly seem to look the same.maybe im wrong,i really am curious what is the deal with these fish?

 

[torin31]

I can only speculate, but I will say I think it is because they are more common to purchase at lfs, and also the colors and choices you can have. There are many to choose from.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I agree with Torin's speculation. African Mbuna are very readily available, especially at chain stores. They are usually pretty inexpensive as well. I prefer South Americans, personally, except for my love of Tanganyikan shell dwellers. I have yet to see Apistogramma sold in the lfs here. Rams are rare.

 

[mgamer20o0]

i prefer south americans i can say i have never kept a african cichlid. i am not a big fan of cichlids but i have kept a few of them such has rams apistos discus angels.

i think questions might make it look that way but there tends to be more people into angels and discus alone then africans. maybe its time for a poll?

 

[DizzCat]

I have both. I love my Bolivian Rams, but its my Africans that fascinate me so much!

African are constantly busy! They dig, they flirt, they zip around the tank. They are never still! If you watch them for 5 minutes in a nice tank you will know why people love them so much! You will see one busy in one corner digging out a tunnel under a rock. In the other side there is another one shaking and showing off to a female. A group swimming along together. They are just insanely busy all the time! Sure, the colors are great, but it is the personalities of these guys that really explode when you get to know them! They may be readily available, but once a person gets a couple they are hooked and want more!

SA cichlids are beautiful and I would not give up my Rams for anything, but compared to the African, SA are down right boring! I can watch my African tank for hours on end and never get bored! I have a SA community tank and an African tank set up in the same room. People will look in the SA tank and love the Rams, but then they look in the African tank and cannot look away! The personality of each fish is so obvious and they are so busy and colorful people cannot take their eyes off of them.

 

[convict78]

I can only speculate, but I will say I think it is because they are more common to purchase at lfs, and also the colors and choices you can have. There are many to choose from.

maybe,but i always thought common south american ciclids like jack dempseys,green terrors,convicts,firemouths,jewel,oscars to name a few were more common then the african kind.

 

[fisch]

I probably see more Central American cichlids than africans. Discus and Angels are south american, and I see plenty of those. Rarely see Rams and have never seen Apistos.
It probably has to do with ease of keeping them. apistos and rams don't have the reputation as being as hardy as other species. There are probably more losses during shipping than other cichlids.

 

[BillD]

Interesting, that what I think as being common cichlids such as rams are not so elsewhere. I guess your experience will vary with your locale. I have lots available to me in local shops, and even more through the aquarium society I belong to. There seems to be more SA types available in recent years including wild caught fish. Lots of new cories showing up too. I don't have any africans anymore, although I have kept a number of types from all three of the big lakes, as well as kribs. At our monthly society meetings it is difficult to give malawi fish away. They can be bought in the auction for next to nothing. Our club president who is a big time Tropheus fan and breeder, has half his fish room now converted to SA types. He has been calling Malawis trash for years (even though he once kept them). Others in the club that have always kept many tanks seem to have also drifted away from the Africans to Central and South American. One member that used to keep large numbers of Africans is down to 2 tanks for them, a mixed Malawi, and a Tropheus colony. The other 30 or so tanks are Central or South American. So, while these observations may not mean anything, I think they are of interest, because trends change.

 

[Sicklid]

I like both... The appeal of the Africans to me is the smaller size and the salt-water-like appearance of them, and while Rams are nice, the coolest fish are the big colorful SA cichlids...

 

[CichliditisExtremitis]

Guys, guys, guys! Gals, gals, gals! You've got it all wrong! This is seriously a guy thing! Yep, that's right! African cichlids are for tough guys! Got it? African cichlids are bold, aggressive, flashy, vain, show-offs, and every other attribute -- good or bad -- that you can attribute to guys. That's why guys like them, and gals too! Gals, like DizzCat, just can't help but be drawn to African Cichlids!

Hee, hee, okay...I hope you all caught my tongue-in-cheek in the above...but it is all true.

 

[DizzCat]

African cichlids are bold, aggressive, flashy, vain, show-offs, and every other attribute -- good or bad

LOL I could not have said it better myself! Maybe I just miss my son and all his guy friends hanging out LOL

 

[Sicklid]

EVERY person who enters my house and sees my Malawi tank says "Is that saltwater?", something they never ever once asked when I kept South and Central Americans... I am happy with Africans, but only because I can't install a 1500 gallon tank required to keep a biotope like this in my living room:

 

[CichliditisExtremitis]

LOL I could not have said it better myself! Maybe I just miss my son and all his guy friends hanging out LOL

See Cathy; I knew from the start that we were on the same level!

But for SA cichlid fans who may think that I am being partial, please notice that I have also bred both Discus and Angels, which was also a wonderful, interesting and educational experience. Discus and Angels are both beautiful, and very caring parents, but nothing beats the personalities of African cichlids. They are entertainers and psychologists both!

 

[CichliditisExtremitis]

EVERY person who enters my house and sees my Malawi tank says "Is that saltwater?", something they never ever once asked when I kept South and Central Americans... I am happy with Africans, but only because I can't install a 1500 gallon tank required to keep a biotope like this in my living room:

Man, you and me both, Sicklid! I don't want a walk-in freezer in my house; I want a walk-in African cichlid tank! I'd go snorkeling with the dudes!

 

[JustOneMore20]

I guess its mostly personal preference too. I've had a Malawi tank and while they were very beautiful fish with nice colors, I didn't keep them long because I couldn't take their aggressiveness and killing each other even as Juvies. I call myself choosing fish carefully based on research, but it didn't go as planned. My Apistos are aggressive towards each other, but I haven't felt the need to get rid of them!

We all have our preferences for types of Cichlids.

 

[convict78]

Guys, guys, guys! Gals, gals, gals! You've got it all wrong! This is seriously a guy thing! Yep, that's right! African cichlids are for tough guys! Got it? African cichlids are bold, aggressive, flashy, vain, show-offs, and every other attribute -- good or bad -- that you can attribute to guys. That's why guys like them, and gals too! Gals, like DizzCat, just can't help but be drawn to African Cichlids!

Hee, hee, okay...I hope you all caught my tongue-in-cheek in the above...but it is all true.

i feel the same about south american ciclids,other then being show offs.i think the main thing has to be africans are more colorfull.saltwater is colorfull and africans are the closest things to it in fresh water.

 

[CichliditisExtremitis]

Of course, one can always switch to saltwater. In years past I owned a 170 gallon marine tank, and designed and maintained them up to 300 gallons for my business. Now I'm reduced to a 45 gallon African cichlid tank.