Question:What are the major differences, such as the characteristics, personality, care level, water chem, color, etc? Which is more difficult to care for? Which one do you prefer personally?
and if you can give any information at all about them, it would be appreciated! :]
Answers:
As the previous answer touched on, water chemistry is completely different for the two groups of fish. South American Cichlids do generally prefer soft, acidic water while African Cichlids prefer hard, alkaline water. As a very broad general statement, African Cichlids tend to be more territorial than South American Cichlids, but there are many, many exceptions to this, so you would need to research each species you plan on keeping carefully. Care level is basically the same really, once a tank is set up to meet their needs, they require basically the same level of care as any other fish. Regular water changes and proper feeding.
Personally, I prefer the small South American cichlids from the Apistogramma genus, but I have kept many species from both groups of cichlids.
MM
Hiya, some of the main differences are that africans prefer much harder alkaline water and they are usually more colorful. I myself prefer new world cichlids such as kribs, convicts and such. Some of the africans are mouthbrooders which is in itself an awesome thing to see. Depends on what your water chemistry is like. That being said I have some of both types and enjoy them very much!
Ang
Cichlids are a very large family of fish and without knowing which species you are talking about, it is hard to give specific answers to your question. Most of the time "African Cichlids" refers to fish from the Rift Lakes, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika. There are hundreds of species and some are very peaceful while others are highly territorial. My best advice is to decide which fish you want to keep and then read up on what their native environment is like and try to emulate it as best you can. New World cichlids, from Central and South America are generally easier to keep, but many of them grow quite large, so make sure your aquarium is big enough for the species you choose. Good Luck!
Try to narrow it down a bit. There are over a thousand species of African cichlids and at least five hundred in the New World making it hard to generalize any info.
More Questions & Answers...