Dwarf Cichlid Craze

Some people understand it... I don't.

Ok, sure, cichlids are appealing fish. They've got colour, personality, appetite - why wouldn't you want one as a pet?

And then everyone has some sort of fish craze developing after a while - some become pleco fanatics, others delve into the dark world of catfish, others love their puffers; the cichlidophiles have their sects too: Malawis, Central Americans, but most emphasised in this post, Dwarf Cichlids too.

I took a little look into the world of Dwarf Cichlids to see what the hype was all about - and lo and behold I was surrounded by Apistogramma! Hundreds of different species, colours, fin forms, you name it! Further poking around revealed that the term 'dwarf cichlid' is also loosely applied to several other South American genera as well, among the most popular were Mikrogeophagus and Nannacara. And if you took it to a further stretch (as the dwarf cichlid enthusiasts look at me with scorn), dwarf cichlids are found in Africa and Asia too, in the forms of Etroplus (the lone Asian genus) and a decent handful of Africans, Kribensis and Nanochromis topping that list.

What I found sad was that the further away from South America these little guys were found, the less popular they were under the term 'dwarf cichlid', despite the fact that they are indeed pee-wees among their cichlid brethren. In any other case they're popular fish, mind you, but surely they too should hold at least a decent place among the other cichlid toddlers.

I was told that, before I even begin to judge those who drool over undersized (feeder) cichlids, I should keep them myself. And, of course, if I'm going to ever keep any kind of dwarf cichlid, Apistogramma is the way to go. Just like everybody else.

In rebellion to this trend, I decided to get my own AFRICAN DWARF CICHLID (please don't kill me). Anyways, I actually got 4. And they're cool so far. Although they can be righteous tossers to whoever they share the tank with. I present to you:

Pseudocrenilabrus philander: the Southern Mouthbrooder.

Ok, so either the picture doesn't do the poor bloke justice or this species is the rear end of the dwarf cichlid group, but regardless, I'm having fun keeping them. Hopefully I'll get at least one pair out of these guys and just maybe get some fry out of them. And if in the end it was worth it, then you cichlidophiles can rest peacefully as I join your ranks.

Cheers
Salmon