| type | Status | Habitat |
 |
 |
 |
|
FISHES |
STABLE |
All Continent |
 Cichlids are found in almost every possible body of freshwater within their geographic range including rivers, lakes, swamps, and even ditches and puddles. |
 Feed sinking pellets or flakes as a staple food. Give green food like grocery store spinach occasionally, as many cichlids like green foods. |
|
Cichlids are found in the Americas, from southern Texas down to Argentina in South America. They are found throughout Africa and parts of the Middle East. There are cichlids on the island of Madagascar, on the island of Sri Lanka, and along the southern coast of India. There are no cichlids native to Australia or the Far East.
The cichlidae family is just one of the 482 families of fishes. There are over 25,000 species of fishes all together, which incidentally is more than all the birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined. Being colorful, fairly easy to maintain, and interesting to observe makes cichlids popular with aquarium enthusiasts. Others are farmed as an important source of protein in many countries.
Cichlids can be herbivorous, feeding on algae and plants; carnivorous, preying on small wildlife, other fishes, and insect larvae; or detritivores, eating all types of organic material. The cichlids are very specific in habitat choice: some live only among the rocks, others in open water, others along sandy beaches. They have evolved behaviors and tooth structures to live this way.