Getting a new pet for yourself or your children is something exciting. However, fish make for entertaining pets too. Whether you get to fish for your kids or for yourself, educating yourself about the type you choose to have is a must to make sure you don’t harm them in any way.
How to Properly Take Care of African Cichlids
African Cichlids need specific kinds of attention and care. We are here to direct your attention to the areas you need to focus on the most so you can enjoy having the little creatures at your house once they arrive.
Should The Tank Be Big?
This type of fish moves a lot and is aggressive; they should have sufficient room to swim. Make sure you buy a big tank so that the fish is comfortable and has plenty of room to move freely.
Food
African Cichlids have quite a range of food to pick from. You can give them fish meat or frozen food, even some fruits and veggies in small sizes would do. They are to be fed 2 to 3 times per day in small quantities or one time in larger quantities. It is recommended to research the specific species you bought in case it requires a specific diet.
Where Should The Tank Be Placed?
Ideally, a tank containing this type of fish should be put away from direct sunlight. We do not need you to worry though there are ways to decorate fish tanks without having to put the tank beside the window. Once you decide the style, you will surely find a way to make the fish tank become the nice addition you have been searching for.
Tank Setup
As tanks are usually thought of as an item that decorates a room as well as contains the fish, it is important to think about what to put in the tank. It is good that this type of fish likes to pick its food from between sand so you would have to add some fine grains in the bottom that would give a pop of colour to the tank.
There are also some substrates that should be included in the tank, this article can help you find out more about them. It is good to be guided especially if you are new to a certain domain, or you can be reminded of information you already know if you are not new to the game.
How Long Do They Live?
It is important to know the life span of any pet you own to be well aware of the situation before you start and not get disappointed. African Cichlids live up to 8 years if they are taken care of properly. Any kind of pet is, in the end, a child that needs to be taken care of; negligence will often lead to bad results that you will regret.
Especially if you are buying a pet to teach your children about responsibility, children learn by example and not with speeches. No matter the reason behind your purchase, you need to make sure not to overfeed your fish and to clean your tank regularly.
Make sure you write down the feeding tips for your fish especially if you have more than one kind or species in the tank. It could also be useful if you hang a feeding and cleaning schedule next to the tank for you or other family members to follow.
People fear the things they do not know. Once you learn all about African Cichlids, taking care of them will be very easy. This group of fish is very diverse and usually comes from more than one African lake.
What is really great about them is that their size allows their colours to show in a beautiful manner making your tank look like a decorative piece of art. This is what’s to love about fish tanks and having fish as pets; they don’t make a mess, you don’t have to worry about where they have gone, there is no need to walk them, and they spice up a living room really well. That is what we call hitting many birds with one tank of fish… Metaphorically of course.