Dwarf cichlids

Corals are found all over the world, even around the poles. Reef building corals are however only found in warm subtropical and tropical waters. Reef building corals

are present in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and the Western Atlantic. Their habitat is generally limited to the region between 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S latitudes. In

the Indo-Pacific Ocean you will find reef building corals from the Persian Guld and the Red Sea, and eastwards in the Indian and Pacific oceans all the way over to

Panama and a few places in the Gulf of California. In the Western Atlantic corals are living outside Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Belize and around

the Caribbean Islands, Bermuda and Bahamas. Reef building corals will only live where the water temperature is warm enough; 20-28 degrees Celsius / 68-82 degrees

Fahrenheit. Keeping the water temperature in the ideal range is therefore imperative when you keep corals in you aquarium.

Reef building corals prefer quite shallow debts where the light penetration is good and will therefore usually grow at depths of less than 46 metres / 150 feet. The

reef building corals require plenty of strong light since they form symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae. Other coral species can however survive without

direct sunlight and live much deeper down in the ocean. Corals have been found at depths of 6,000 m / 19,700 feet.

As mentioned earlier, your corals will require powerful and intricate currents in the aquarium. In the wild, scientists have noticed that reef development is more

profuse in regions where the reef effected by vigorous water movements. Waves and currents bring oxygen to the reef and will also carry food particles to the corals.

Currents are also necessary for the reproduction of corals since they transport coral larvae. Without water movements, the corals can also become weighed down by

sedimentation.

Most corals require some type of hard substrate to grow on, such as old coral skeletons or an underwater cliff. They will also happily colonise man made objects such

as shipwrecks and crashed airplanes. The coral use calcium from the water to build a skeleton that is attached to the surface. The water must be warm and very salty

for this process to take place, and the levels of carbon dioxide in the water must be low. This should be kept in mind when you keep corals in saltwater aquariums. In

the wild, these three factors will typically be fulfilled in shallow waters.
Corydoras Catfish

Corydoras belong to the genus Corydoras in the armored catfish family Callichthyidae. Corydoras are a type of catfish, and many different species are today kept by

aquarists. Corydoras, or Corys as they are affectionately called by their keepers, are peaceful and can be kept in tropical community aquariums. They are active and

entertaining to watch, and can become very old in the aquarium if you provide them with favourable conditions. Do not be surprised if your Cory accompanies you for 15

-20 years.

In the genus Corydoras we can today find over 180 described species. Many species kept by aquarists have not yet been scientifically described so this genus will most

likely grow even larger in the future.

If you want to keep Corydoras, you should get at lest six individuals since Corydoras form large schools in the wild. In South America, you can find school consisting

of thousands of Corydoras. Sometimes members of different species school together.

The native environment for Corydoras is slow-moving streams where the water is shallow, clear, soft and neutral or slightly acidic. Keep the pH-value in the aquarium

slightly below 7 and strive for 5-10 degrees of hardness. Some Corydoras species do not cope well with salt, so you must research you particular species before you use

salt as medication. Corys are quite hardy and adaptable, but they are sensitive to high levels of nitrate since this makes them susceptible to barbell infections.

Corys will search for food at the bottom of the aquarium, so sinking pellets are recommended. They will also eat sunken flake food, and occasional treats in the form

of live or frozen meaty food is greatly appreciated. In the wild, Corydoras eat worms, insects, larvae, dead fish, plant material and other food stuffs that they

manage to find while searching the bottom.

Corys do best in planted aquariums since this resembles their natural environment. Since Corys are bottom feeders you should not use a sharp substrate in the aquarium.

Corys will search the substrate using their barbles and a sharp substrate can cause injury. In the wild, they are usually found over sandy or muddy bottoms. The

substrate can also be covered in decomposing leaves. Corys like to burry themselves in the substrate.

If you notice that your Corydoras occasionally leaves the bottom to breathe air at the surface, there is no need to be alarmed. This is a normal behaviour in Corydoras

and does not indicate gill infections. The fish draws air into its mouth and absorb it through the wall of its intestine. Left over air is then released through the

vent. This fascinating form of breathing is an adaptation to low-oxygen waters.

One example of the many popular Corydoras species is the Bronze Corydoras (Corydoras aeneus). The females can reach a length of 3 inches (7 centimetres), while he

males usually stay smaller. Since this species is really popular among aquarists, it is today commercially bred in many parts of the world. You can also find wild

caught specimens in aquarium stores, but wild caught Bronze Corydoras tend to be more difficult to successfully spawn in aquariums.
Discus Fish

Discus fishes are large cichlids that have been appreciated by aquarists since the 1920\'s and there are several different Discus cichlids to choose among. The Discus

derives its name from its body shape. This fish have a strong lateral compression and the body is nearly circular. The eyes of a Discus are usually deep red. Discus

fish are colorful fishes and you can enhance their coloration further by feeding them a suitable diet. If you feed your Discus a lot of brine shrimp, any red

coloration will usually be increased.

All Discus fish variants originate from the Amazon region in South America. They prefer lakes, deep puddles and smaller rivers and streams. The water in this region is

acidic and you should therefore provide your Discus with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. It is also important that you keep the water in the aquarium soft, 0-3dH is

recommended. Discus cichlids like to stay in the shadow during the day and the ideal water temperature in the aquarium is 25-29°C (77-84°F).

Discus cichlids are not very competitive and if you place them in the same aquarium as more assertive fish species, e.g. Angelfish, your Discus might be without food

and starve or suffer from malnutrition. More docile species are therefore recommended as tank mates. Keeping several Discus cichlids together is a very good idea since

Discus cichlids feel more at ease when in a group. A small group consisting of 6-8 specimens is ideal if your aquarium is large enough. You can also keep Discus with

schooling fish, e.g. characins, since their presence will have a calming effect on the Discus. It should however be noted that Discus can consider smaller fish as food

if it has not been brought up together with small fish.

The Blue Discus (Symphysodon aequifaciatus haraldi) is also known as and Turquoise Discus. A Blue Discus fish with strong blue lines is called Royal Blue Discus. A Red

Royal Blue Discus will have red markings in addition to the blue ones. The Blue Discus variants can reach a size of 15 centimeters (6 inches). The Green Discus

(Symphysodon aequifaciatus aequifaciatus) has turquoise and blue markings on its head and upper body. The anal and dorsal fin is also turquoise. The Green Discus will

reach the same size as the Blue Discus. The Brown Discus (Symphysodon aequifaciatus axelrodi) will also stay at a size of 15 centimeters (6 inches). Its body is brown

or yellowish brown.
The Heckle Discus (Symphysodon discus) is commonly referred to as just “Discus”. It is sometimes also sold as Pompadour Fish. It will grow larger than Blue, Green and

Brown Discus and a size of 20 centimeters (8 inches) is not uncommon. The Heckle Discus is also more complicated to keep than the Blue, Green and Brown Discus

variants. Even advanced aquarists consider the Heckle Discus to be a challenge, since this discus is very sensitive to changes. Even small changes or tiny amounts of

pollutants can weaken the Heckle Discus and make it unable to withstand diseases
Dwarf Cichlids

Dwarf cichlids are found in Africa as well as in America. The most well known dwarf cichlid species are American and belong to the genus Apistogramma. These cichlids

live in the Amazon region and some species are also found in Venezuela. Agassiz\'s Dwarf Cichlid (Apistogramma agassizi), Blue Apistogramma (Apistogramma trifasciata),

Yellow Dwarf Cichlid (Apistogramma borellii) and Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid (Apistogramma cacatuoides) are all examples of commonly kept Apistogramma dwarf cichlids. In

the wild, you will find Apistogramma dwarf cichlids in soft and acidic waters, and you should therefore keep the pH between 5.5 and 6.8 in the aquarium and make sure

that the water is soft.