Difference Between African and South American Cichlids

The key difference between African and South American Cichlids is that the African cichlids live in freshwaters originating from three great lakes of Africa while South American cichlids live in the freshwaters of South and Central America including the Arizona river. Moreover, looking at their behavior, the African Cichlids are aggressive and prefer to live in isolation but, the South American Cichlids are very friendly and can live with other types of fish.

Cichlids are popular, colorful pet fish which belong to the category of ornamental fish. Thus, there are popularly found in domestic environments. African and South American Cichlids are two main types, and they differ from their geographic distribution.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are African Cichlids
3. What are South American Cichlids
4. Similarities Between African and South American Cichlids
5. Side by Side Comparison – African vs South American Cichlids in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What are African Cichlids?

African Cichlids are the most common type of Cichlids across the world. They typically reside in freshwaters in the three great lakes of Africa – Lake Malawi, Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika. Moreover, they are the most diversely colored cichlids, with a spectrum of colors ranging from red, blue, orange, black and yellow. Their dietary patterns also vary and therefore, they have to be fed with a wide mixture of foods including both processed and frozen food types.

They are very resistant to harsh conditions and remain active during most of their lifespan. Hence, breeding of African Cichlids is much easier. The social behavior of African cichlids takes a special aspect. They do not prefer to live in mixed environments with other types of fish. Thus, they need to be kept in isolation. Therefore, they are popular as aggressive fish. Popular African Cichlids are Zebra Cichlids, Peacock Cichlids, and Goby Cichlids.

What are South American Cichlids?

South American Cichlids live mainly across the Central and Southern America. River Arizona is a popular habitat of South American Cichlids. They exist in a variety of colors that make them a popular fish for domestication. Moreover, they are termed as durable fish which are friendly in nature. Therefore, they can be kept in mixed environments with other fish types. They show a friendly social behavior as well.

Furthermore, the feeding habits of South American Cichlids vary. They are opportunistic carnivores and primarily depend on fish substrates. Some also tend to eat plant matter. However, they are flexible to both frozen and processed food. The popular South American Cichlids include Butterfly cichlids, Angelfish, and Discus.

What are the Similarities Between African and South American Cichlids?

• African and South American Cichlids are freshwater fish.
• Both types vary in their color and size.
• Both types of cichlids can be easily bred to be used as ornamental fish if the necessary conditions are supplied.
• They can be fed with frozen or processed food.

What is the Difference Between African and South American Cichlids?

African Cichlids live in three great lakes of Africa while South American cichlids live in freshwater of South and Central America. Moreover, behaviorally, the difference between African and South American Cichlids is that the African Cichlids are aggressive, and they prefer to live isolated while South American Cichlids are a very friendly fish type and they can live with other fish types as well.

The below infographic presents more details on the difference between African and South American Cichlids.

Summary – African vs South American Cichlids

Cichlids are the most common type of ornamental fish, which has high breeding rates. African and South American Cichlids mainly differ in their geographic distribution and their social behavior. African Cichlids are more aggressive. In contrast, South American Cichlids are of a friendly type. In summary, both are very colorful fish types which depend mainly on carnivorous food: either frozen or processed. This is the difference between African and South American Cichlids.

Reference:

1.Animal-World. “African Cichlid Facts.” Animal World. Available here 
2.Animal-World. “South American Cichlid Facts.” Animal World. Available here 

Image Courtesy:

1.”1418523190″ by Ed Schipul (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
2.”Mikrogeophagus ramirezi imported from Columbia”By Frank M Greco (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia