What are African Cichlids?

It is difficult to describe what African cichlids are in just a few words with estimated species numbering 2000 to 5000. Cichlids live in streams, rivers and lakes. It is thought they evolved from marine fish into freshwater fish we know today. Cichlids can be found in South America, a few areas of Asia, Central America and Africa. The fact is many aquarists are delighted by these intriguing, personable and pretty fish.

• Many popular cichlids come from lakes in Africa. Several varieties of African cichlids come from Lake Victoria, Tanganyika and Lake Malawi. As many as 1300 African species out of thousands of cichlids have been studied and documented.


• Most hobbyists are familiar with long-finned angle fish, and brightly colored discus fish that may be kept in good-sized aquariums. Discus and angels are smaller South American varieties of cichlids. Shelldwellers, sarding cichlids, goby cichlids and featherfins are popular African lake cichlids. Some African cichlids are so big they are kept in individual show tanks. The Boulengerochromis microlepis is one of the biggest African cichlids measuring an average of a couple of feet.


• Large quantities of the most brightly colored fish come from Lake Malawi. Estimations indicate there could be as many as 800 species with only 300 of those documented. Lake Malawi is home to the goby and zebra cichlids as well as several other varieties. Goby fish are peaceful fish, naturally larger than zebras and swim close in near the shoreline in shallow waters. Zebra cichlids are striking fish with blues, yellows, and black bars, which prefer rocky dwellings. Other common species in Lake Malawi include the zebra Malawi cichlid, cobalt blue and the Nyasa blue cichlid.


• Eastern African cichlids make their home in Lake Victoria. Victoria cichlids come from Lake Victoria and many other lakes near the area. West African varieties are found in streams and rivers with several habitats. The Kribensis and African dwarf cichlids are often caught in the western regions of Africa.


• The largest cichlid recorded at 31 inches comes from another African lake called Lake Tanganyika. Unbelievably the world’s smallest cichlid was also found in Lake Tanganyika measuring just 1.4 inches. Lake Tanganyika is one of the oldest and largest lakes in the region filled with a great many more cichlids that have yet to be described.