River and lake

[Pckts]

Some of my favorite aquarium fish are Cichlids.
They are fresh water fish found in Africa (african cichlids)
Central and South America.

Depending on the location, cichlids have developed into many classifications.
Over the years I have had many, at the moment I no longer keep any since my Green Istlantum died a year back. But I will post a few of my favorites with a brief description.

Lets start with the Lion/Tiger/Polar Bear of the Cichlid world,
The Dovii

*This image is copyright of its original author

These guys can get up to 24'' or more and are found in C. America
Depending on the location, Dovii like most Cichlids have slight variations in color, body shape and size.
Dovii belong to a genus known as Parachromis, this genus includes
Dovii
Managuense
Motoguense
Loisellei
Friedrichsthalii

but no parachromis species gets as large or aggressive as the Dovii.

The dovii is a strictly predatory cichlid and prefers to hunt by ambush. I am not joking when I say dovii are aggressive, any dovii owner will agree. They hit the glass "glass bang" harder than any other fish, they are intolerant of other fish and if you planned on having an adult pair in a community setting, you'd need a minimum of 600 gallons. But when it comes to beauty, they are 2nd to none.


Next up is the S. American equivalent to the Dovii, it's called the Umbee
The Umbee

*This image is copyright of its original author

The Umbee is very similar in size to the Dovii, there is a ton of overlap between the largest specimens. But the umbee is an open water predator so it arguable needs even more space than a Dovii when keeping it in a aquarium setting.
In terms of aggression, the umbee isn't quite as belligerent as the Dovii but it still will not tolerate tank mates when its an adult. 
Like the dovii, the umbee has many variations depending on location and it's beauty is also legendary.


Next is arguably the most aggressive of them all, it's called the Beani Cichlid
Beani

*This image is copyright of its original author

The beani cichlid is part of the cichlid genus known as Cichlosoma and comes in a White or Green variety.
Beani are notoriously hard to care for, they are very prone to Bloat. But if an experienced keeper can maintain their health until adulthood, they are blessed with one of the most aggressive and beautiful cichlids around.
The beani is a large central american cichlid, not quite as large as the Dovii or Umbee, the Beani usually hits the 16''






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