CA/SA Thread 1

Hey bros... and sis... in view of the recent discusions and sharing of CAs, may I propose to start a CA/SA thread?
Hope we can all share experiences, knowledge, set up, sightings and pictures/videos of these amazing group of cichlids.

[Young Man]

Originally Posted by ryzcris

Hey bros... and sis... in view of the recent discusions and sharing of CAs, may I propose to start a CA/SA thread?
Hope we can all share experiences, knowledge, set up, sightings and pictures/videos of these amazing group of cichlids.

just a thought why not get the help of mods to start a sub-section for it too like african cichlids?

I have a lot of CAs, but currently no time to take pics.
Breaking up into sub sections make moderating more difficult.
I have some ideas to improve on the forum, but there are two things that are lacking. First, Moderators are needed, second the interest from members need to be there. Sometimes it's chicken and egg, you put Mods they lead, and more people come in. We can also do with a new identity.
I did put up a sticky thread asking for feedback,but only received a request for cichlid profiles. Good idea, but this requires Mods to ensure content quality, so it's still back to people.

Hmmm..... guess we need to create the interest first before we know if it makes enough sense to create a whole new subsection and assign moderator? I guess critical mass of interest justifies everything but then with regards to interest and supply of CAs out there its another chicken and egg problem. Nevertheless, by showcasing and sharing our experiences and fishes, I'm sure we can generate some interest. Moreover CAs are quite easyto get into since there are low cost varieties to start with for beginners and even those can be really beautiful.

Many people keep fishes, the forum is a place for sharing fishcare, a great place for newbies.
Maybe some of you may notice that whilst the forum is very strong in certain areas, the numbers, the social aspect, it is weak in knowledge sharing.
There are many who have the knowledge, but for some reason is not motivated to share with others.
When a person starts keeping fishes, and sign on to a forum, he is influenced by the discussions and the direction it takes.
For instance, when you asked about how to ID a fish, look at the response I gave on the difference between Mayan and Festae. A person keeping such a fish may want to know more the origin of the fishes, why there are such similarities between two fishes from two different areas. And are there differences, assuming they came from the same fish, how did they become isolated in different areas, how have they evolved. A post opens up a new area of discovery.
A cichlid forum carries with it the community spirit among all cichlid hobbyists worldwide, to promote the understanding of the different genuses and species and to preserve the pure lines. This is what I mean by having a Cichlid identity in this forum. Through it, we appreciate our fishes a lot more than we ever do, knowing their origin, their vulnerabilities, their requirements, they all come together like a jig saw puzzle to give you a very nice full picture.

I think we have been successful in generating a lot of interest and posts, but always at the back of my mind, I am thinking how far we have strayed and as there is a lack of manpower, I just leave it as it is for the time being.

Actually, everybody has interest in their fishes, to unlock this interest and set a direction is a leadership role of the Moderator. My belief is that this should comprise of 80 to 90% of the Mod's work. It's not just about shifting threads and deleting posts, coming in to settle arguments, a Mod is not a Mariah!
Many may disagree with me, some have the idea the Mod don't need to know anything. I don't know if this could be because some very knowledgeable Mods hold back their sharing in the past, so their knowledge is of no use to the forum.

We all start off with zero, and we accumulate knowledge as we go along. I feel that a Mod needs to have the interest to learn and help others to learn, he need not know a lot, but the interest is there. Once we have this kind of people in the forum, it's a matter of time that substance and content builds up and hobbyists find it truly enjoyable to interact and discuss and learn more about their fishes.

If anyone wants to discuss issues such as these, like opening up CA section, etc, I am quite happy to sit down and listen. It shows there is a desire to do something for the forum.
In this process, we may find a few more Moderators who would bring more vibrance and character to this forum and to develop a new identity for the Cichlid section.

Moderators are given complete freedom to do what they want with the areas they are looking after, they need not log in every day, and they can also go on sabbatical. Many have the wrong idea that they need to do a lot, but actually Mods don't do a lot. They set the direction, plant the ideas, it's the members who follow through to water and grow the plants into trees. It's the satisfaction of being able to accomplish something in a big forum like AF that drives many of us Mods.

I agree with what you say... frankly its quite hard insist mods being subject matter experts and not realistic to do so as well. I do agree that mods while having certain power should not be treated like an administrative labour to all. While it can be quite inspiring to see experts and all,,that need not come from moderators. As long as they are able to create a spark, the main fuel for the fire should still be the interest from the main community. If over 90% of the effort to keep a section alive comes from the moderator, it probably shows the lack of relevance of that section in the first place.

Anyway... I'm in the midst of converting my 6 footer into a CA setup... any advice? Too bad my digicam is not working, do hope to upload some picswhen its complete. Of course, finding the CAs to stock in there is another issue altogether. Currently only have a couple of juvenile jags, argenteas, synspilum, and some unidentified cichlids which I thought were brasiliensis but turned out to be something else.

[johannes]

I think, by far, the individual threads regarding certain type of cichlids have been doing pretty well over the years, such as alto thread, EE thread, etc etc, the only bad point is that it is very hard to search for a specific info from those thread. one has to read from page 1 to XX in order to search for the info he is looking for.

Hmmm..... ok let me try to do some research and gather some information which might be useful to all. I'm no expert so, bros... help me out here ya.

Introduction to Central America and its Cichlids

Geography
The Central American region begins from the south of Mexico and consists largely of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama. The mountainous terrain along the western part of the Central American region results in various streams and rivers reaching towards the east, many ending in inland lakes throughout Guatemala, the Honduras, and Nicaragua with the largest being lake Nicaragua, also known as Cocibolca or Granada. Lake Nicaragua occupied 8,264 km2 in area, over 10 times the size of Singapore, 704 km2.



Biotopes
Unlike the South American region which consists largely the Amazon flood plains and riverines, the Central American biotope is highly varied ranging from mountainous pebbled streams, to large gushing rivers, blackwater river pools, vast inland fresh water lakes, freshwater and saltwater estuaries. The varying biotopes invariably leads to a variety of fishes and critters, each suited for their specific ecological niche and physical environement. Most of Central America's cichlids reside in the rivers and lakes.

Central American Rivers [Source]
Central America is rich with rivers flowing from rainforests and highlands. These rivers are abundant with river shrimp which provide a strong food base for larger fish like cichlids. The cichlids in these rivers are generally not as territorial and aggressive as those of the Central American lakes.

Often Central American rivers are relatively clear as they flow out of the highlands, sometimes blueish or greenish in color with a moderate amount of dissolved minerals. In the lowlands these rivers become increasingly muddy, especially in areas where there has been deforestation (i.e. much of Central America) and after rains.

Typically these rivers are rocky with sand or rock substrates. In rainforests there may be dense plant growth along the edge of the river with some plants rooted underwater but growing out of the water.

The current varies greatly in rivers -- from still backwaters/ponds to swirling eddies to roaring whitewater rapids. For this biotope I suggest low to moderate current.

For a Central American biotope you can either go with an "aggressive" tank with Central American cichlids or a typial community tank or livebearers. It's not a good idea to mix the two since livebearers are often a natural food source for wild cichlids.

Some examples of CA river/creek setups

YouTube Video

YouTube Video

WATER:
pH: 7.0-7.8, 5-10 dH, 72-79 F (22-26 C)

PLANTS:
Vallisneria, Cabomba, Limnobium, Myriophyllum, some species of Sword plant

Remember that live plants will likely be thrashed (both eaten and uprooted) by many Central American cichlid species.

Setting up a Central American river biotope tank
The tank should be large with open swimming areas, submerged wood, river rocks, and a fine gravel or sand substrate. There should be a moderate current created by a filter that can handle large fish that consume lots of food.

The tank should be brightly illuminated.

Live plants will not last long with rough cichlids. An alternative is plastic plants. Rocks can be used to create territories and shelters for cichlids. Be sure rocks are well anchored since Central American cichlids are active diggers.

FISH:
River Cichlasomines, Livebearers, Astyanax, Loricarids, Pimelodids


Central American Rocky Lakes[Source]
Central America is rich with rivers flowing from rainforests and highlands. These rivers are abundant with river shrimp which provide a strong food base for larger fish like cichlids. The cichlids in these rivers are generally not as territorial and aggressive as those of the Central American lakes.

Often Central American rivers are relatively clear as they flow out of the highlands, sometimes blueish or greenish in color with a moderate amount of dissolved minerals. In the lowlands these rivers become increasingly muddy, especially in areas where there has been deforestation (i.e. much of Central America) and after rains.

Typically these rivers are rocky with sand or rock substrates. In rainforests there may be dense plant growth along the edge of the river with some plants rooted underwater but growing out of the water.

The current varies greatly in rivers -- from still backwaters/ponds to swirling eddies to roaring whitewater rapids. For this biotope I suggest low to moderate current.

For a Central American biotope you can either go with an "aggressive" tank with Central American cichlids or a typial community tank or livebearers. It's not a good idea to mix the two since livebearers are often a natural food source for wild cichlids.

WATER:
pH: 7.0-7.8, 5-10 dH, 72-79 F (22-26 C)

PLANTS:
There are few plants in these lakes due to the hard water.
In the aquarium, live plants will be destroyed by the cichlids.

Setting up a Central American lake biotope tank
The tank should be furnished with large, sturdy rock structures.
The substrate can be fine gravel or sand.
There should be little water current.



FISH:
Loricarids, Pimelodids, Livebearers, lake Cichlasomines.

Very useful information.