Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: The Red Zebra Cichlid - A Violent Fish

Originating, from the East African Rift Lake,
Malawi, Red Zebra Cichlids are also known as
Malawi Cichlids. Their fins are long and yellow
and, as the name suggests, their body is striped.
They may grow up to 6 inches and live for up to
10 years. Males tend to be more attractive than
the females.

An aquarium no smaller than 48 gallons is
recommended for the Red Zebra Cichlid. They like
their water temperature to be between 72F and 82F
with a pH level ranging from 8 to 9. They will
dine on meat and plants alike and will even make
a meal of algae or dried food. They will dig and
uproot plants, so the tank should be decorated
mostly with rocks; any plants must be well
secured. A good way to secure your plants is
place a large rock over the roots. The rock must
be big enough so that the cichlid cannot move it,
but not so big that will crush the roots.

The Red Zebra Cichlid is a relatively violent
fish and therefore should not be placed in a tank
with just any other breed. A good tank mate
choice would be the Jeweled Cichlid. When these
fish are spawning, there should be a ratio of one
male to every three females. This ensures that
the male has amply selection for a mate and that
his violent behavior is not directed at just one
female. It is not optimal for there to be
violence against any of the female fish, but this
way they share the burden. It is the lesser of
two evils.

When a female consents to breeding she will lay
up to 60 eggs on a flat surface (make sure that
you have a flat surface on the floor of your
aquarium if you want to encourage breeding). The
male will fertilize the eggs and the female will
take the fertilized eggs into her mouth until
they hatch (also called Mouth Brooding). The
male's job is done and he goes his separate way
as the female cares for the eggs and eventually
the fry.

The female will keep the eggs in her mouth for up
to 4 weeks until they hatch and in that time she
will not eat anything. Once the fry hatch, she
will be nearly starving. Unfortunately, she is
so hungry that she will not hesitate to eat her
own fry if they do not get away fast enough. You
may want to put the fry in a separate aquarium
until they are big enough to fend for themselves.

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There is a lot more to know about Red Zebra
cichlids and you can learn a lot of it on my
website. You can also learn about the cichlid
Convict there.
http://www.cichlidfishcentral.com/cichlid-fish-art
icles/red-zebra-cichlids/

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