Cichla ocellaris
Distribution: South America: Marowijne drainage in Suriname and French Guiana to the Essequibo drainage in Guyana.
Biology: It is reported that this is a school forming fish. It occurs in the rapids, in quiet waters with medium depth and rocky substrates. Feeds only on small fish, especially thread fin shad, mosquito fish, tilapia and bluegill. Not considered ideal for aquaculture due to its highly predatory habits. Reproduction occurs year-round, with a peak at the start of the rainy season. About 9,000 to 15,000 eggs per kg are released during spawning. Spawning takes place every two months on a flat stone in shallow water. The sticky eggs, measuring 1.4 mm in diameter, take 78 hours to hatch at 28°C.
This is not commonlykept as an aquarium fish.
Aulonocara spp. Peacock Cichlid
These are the Peacock cichlids commonly kept as aquarium fish. They are endemic to Lake Malawi in Africa; reported from Chipoka, Maleri Islands, Nkhomo, and Usisya.
The peacock cichlid likes a PH of about 7.2 – 8.2; dH range: 10 - 30 and since it comes from a tropical climate, they like temperatures about 22 – 26°C
They are between 4" and 6" long.
The aquarium tank should be of about 50 gallons, with a rocky setup with lots of crevices and caves. Make sure what ever rocks you use don't make the water acidic but rather keep it alkaline. If you have a large enough aquarium and is set up in the right way, you can have them in a comunity tank. They can live with catfish and other peaceful, mid-sized fish.
