Now, I love South American Cichlids. I started with them after I got bored with my community fish tank. I was looking for something more aggressive and fish that could get very large. Most South American Cichlids need a tank with at least 50 gallons because most varieties like Oscars can get 12 inches in length.
South American Cichlids need a large hang on the back filter or canister filter for filtration. In addition they require heated water. Like community fish, they need the water temperature to be at least 77 degrees. Most of these types of fish are native to the Amazon River. It is very cool to see them in action in your tank. I recommend getting an odd number of fish because this lessons the chances of them killing others off in your tank.
My Oscar Pic
Now when I started my South American Cichlid tank I bought a used 55 gallon from one of my friends. He did not want it anymore and was moving out of the area. I wanted some crazy fish and ended up getting 3 Oscars. I acquired the fish when they were babies around one inch in length. I was amazed how fast they grew. In about one year they were 7 inches. I keep up with the water changes and only feed them twice a week live feeder fish. My friends would come over and see them eat goldfish like nothing.
Eventually, I got bored with them and ended up trading them in for something else. I learned that Oscars were easy to take care of, but they were really dumb fish. I mean they were not very smart and had a one track mind. Another fish like this is the Red Pacu. The Red Pacu is basically a legal version of a Piranha. They look identical, but do not have teeth.
So when I traded my Oscars in at the store I wanted something unique. I was debating whether to get a Red Tail Catfish or an Arowana. I had been reading up on both the fish and knew that they were going to be harder to take care of then the Oscars. I found out that the Arowana was going to be very expensive to buy as a baby ( 3 inches) and sometimes was very hard to feed. I decided to go with the Red Tail Catfish. I got it as 6 inches in length and was able to grow it to 30 inches over a period of 3 years.
My Red Tail Catfish Pic
The Red Tail Catfish was the only South American Fish that I had in my tank, but it was well worth it. I made sure to keep up with the water changes every other week and only feed it frozen food to prevent parasites. I also made sure that it felt safe in my tank by creating rock sculptures inside the tank. It was very shy and needed to feel safe under some rocks.
If you are wanting to set up a tank with South American Cichlids I suggest that you try out some community fish first. If you can do that successfully, you should be able to do South American Cichlids. They require most of the same requirements as community fish, but need larger tanks and well thought out tank environments including rocks and many hiding spaces.
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[...] Care For South American Cichlids | Setup AquariumsDescription : Now when I started my South American Cichlid tank I bought a used 55 gallon from one of my friends. He did not want it anymore and was moving out of the area. I wanted some crazy fish and ended up getting 3 Oscars. I acquired the fish …http://www.setupaquariums.com/ .. [...]
[...] South American Cichlids need a large hang on the back filter or canister filter for filtration. In addition they need warmed up water. Like community fish, they need the water heat to be at least 77 degrees. Most of these types of fish are indigenous to the Amazon River. It is very cool to see them in motion in your tank. I recommend getting an odd number of fish because this lessons the odds of them killing others off in your tank. [...]
[...] South American Cichlids need a huge hang on the back filter or canister filter for filtration. In addition they call for heated h2o. Like community fish, they need the water heat to be at least 77 degrees. Most of these types of fish are indigenous to the Amazon River. It is very cool to see them in action in your tank. I advocate getting an odd number of fish because this lessons the chances of them killing others off in your tank. [...]
[...] South American Cichlids need a huge hang on the back filter or canister filter for filtration. In addition they need warmed up h2o. Like community fish, they need the water temperature to be at least 77 degrees. Most of these types of fish are native to the Amazon River. It is very cool to see them in action in your tank. I advocate getting an odd number of fish because this lessons the odds of them killing others off in your tank. [...]
[...] South American Cichlids need a large hang on the back filter or canister filter for filtration. In addition they require heated water. Like community fish, they need the water temperature to be at least 77 degrees. Most of these types of fish are native to the Amazon River. It is very cool to see them in action in your tank. I recommend getting an odd number of fish because this lessons the chances of them killing others off in your tank. [...]
[...] South American Cichlids need a large hang on the back filter or canister filter for filtration. In addition they demand warmed h2o. Like community fish, they need the water temperature to be at least 77 degrees. Most of these types of fish are native to the Amazon River. It is very cool to see them in action in your tank. I recommend getting an odd number of fish because this lessons the probabilities of them killing others off in your tank. [...]