What Are Cichlids?

Cichlids [pronounced ’sick-lids’] are a group of fishes which taxonomically are grouped into a single family; Cichlidae. Cichlidae is one of the largest families of fishes and may rival gobies as the largest assemblage of fishes. Conservative estimates place the number of species of cichlids at around 1400, some estimates are much higher. Despite confusion about which fish are cichlids, most pet shops, perhaps unknowingly, stock a few species of cichlid, such as discus, oscars and angelfish.

Cichlids in general have a well deserved reputation for aggression, however, this aggression is linked to complex social and breeding systems that make cichlids one of the most interesting groups of fishes for the aquarist. To quote Dr. Michael Oliver, of The Cichlid Fishes of Lake Malawi, paraphrasing Samuel Johnson - “When a person is tired of natural cichlid diversity, he is tired of life (and should get one!), for there is in the Cichlidae all the variety that life can afford.”