Recommended Reads

[Konigwolf]

Wondering about good reading on dwarfs, cichlid atlas is one of the tops but still out of my price range (sending the boys round to see santa, will see what happens :biggrin: )

While looking on amazon came across the book below
Dwarf Cichlids: A Handbook for Their Identification, Care, and Breeding (American Cichlids)"
Horst Linke; Hardcover

had good reviews, anybody know it? have good/bad opinion of it?

Any other recommended reads

Andrew

[Mike Wise]

The book you mention has good information, but was published over 10 years ago. Many of the now popular species are not in it. My suggestion is to save your pennies and buy Uwe's book - or wait until next year.:eek:

[sixfoottank]

I recently bought Anton Lomboj's book - Cichlids of Western Africa.
It's very comprehensive and a real must-have if you are into these fish.
Simon

[Konigwolf]

I decided to get the Dwarf Cichlids: A Handbook for Their Identification, Care, and Breeding (American Cichlids)" book for $22AUD inc air post from US as an "educational" guide until the 2nd ed atlas comes out next year. Anyhow it came today and its been very helpful already, mainly in making me very confused :confused: :confused: . I knew my cacatouides are cacatuoides, and my "juruensis" are probably eunotus, but by now I know my borelli are not borelli and it confirmed my doubts about my steindachneri being that steindachneri, now I have to figure them out :) .

The book does really show how far we have come even in the last 10 years but otherwise I think its an excellent reference guide for beggeners/intermediate and am now waiting for a complete mental breakdown upon the release of the 2ed cichlid atlas :wink:

Andrew

[Andrew C]

Is there going to be a second edition of Linke & Staeck's book - American Cichlids 1, Dwarf Cichlids ?

Also, why do Linke & Staeck's and Uwe Romer's book, miss out the dwarf cichlid genera; Bujurquina, Guianacara, Gymogeophagus, Heroina and Tahuantinsuyoa ?

[Mike Wise]

Is there going to be a second edition of Linke & Staeck's book - American Cichlids 1, Dwarf Cichlids ?

No, no other English edition is planned. The German version of the book has been updated over the years with several new editions. The latest edition was introduced in 2001.

Also, why do Linke & Staeck's and Uwe Romer's book, miss out the dwarf cichlid genera; Bujurquina, Guianacara, Gymogeophagus, Heroina and Tahuantinsuyoa ?

None of the above authors consider the species on Andrew's list to be dwarf cichlids. Other than some "padded" books published by TFH Pubs. & Claus Schaefer's book "Erfolg mit Zwergcichliden", which includes Guianacara, most authors restrict their books to species that conform to Vierke's (1977) or Loiselle's (1985) definitions.

Vierke defined a dwarf cichlid as follows: "The term "dwarf cichlids," as employed in this book, is to be taken to mean small cichlids which on account of their behavior can be kept in well-planted community tanks without reservation. The species described here normally do not grow larger than 10 cm, and generally remain much smaller than that."

Loiselle defined dwarf cichlids in this way: "It is a strictly operational grouping of species based upon four defining characteristics. First of all, these are small cichlids, not exceeding 3.5" SL. In the case of sexually dimorphic species, I will bend the size requirement a bit and accept those in which the smaller sex does not exceed this maximum provided it meets the remaining criteria for inclusion. Secondly, they must be able to carry out their life cycle in a 15 gallon aquarium. Thirdly, their behavior must allow them to be safely housed with smaller non-cichlid tankmates. Last of all, their activities should pose minimal risk to rooted plants even during periods of sexual activity. These behavioral criteria exclude from consideration quite a few cichlids that might otherwise be included on purely morphological grounds, such as the dwarf mouthbrooders of the genus Pseudocrenilabrus and Heros of the subgenus Archocentrus."

When the Apistogramma Study Group decided to publish articles on other Neotropical & West African species, it had to decide which species would be in its "sphere of interest". In the January 1990 edition of the "Apisto-gram" I gave a simple definition & list of species the ASG then considered 'dwarf'. Basically it included 'softwater' genera whose typical species conformed to the definitions of Vierke or Loiselle. This left out some genera popular with dwarf cichlid hobbyists like the Crenicichla-wallacii-group, Chromidotilapia (& the new genera recently removed from it), Teleocichla, etc. Therefore, in the March 1999 issue, I expanded the list to included a list of genera or subgenera (species-groups) that, because they were popular with dwarf cichlid hobbyists & rarely discussed in other publications, would be included in the ASG's sphere of interest. This list was split into 3 sections. Section A included 'dwarf cichlids' as defined in 1990. Most of each Apisto-gram would include article from Section A. Section B included genera that were 'dwarf' in temperament, but not in size. Section C included genera that were 'dwarf' in size, but not in temperament. a maximum of 1 article on a species from Sections 2 or 3 would be published in each issue of the Apisto-gram.

So this is a brief history of what is a dwarf cichlid. Everyone has their own opinion of what is or is not a dwarf cichlid. Whether or not it conforms with the "experts" really doesn't matter, does it? Just enjoy the fish you love to keep.

[Andrew C]

Thanks Mike

Sorry, i should have put South American dwarf cichlids when asking about the missing genera.
A lot of the lists on South American dwarf cichlid genera include the genera i mentioned, but yours is the best explantion i have had yet as to why some include them and others do not.

Andy.

[Mike Wise]

A lot of the lists on South American dwarf cichlid genera include the genera i mentioned ...

Where are these lists? Other than Guianacara, I don't think that I've never seen any one of your genera listed as "dwarf". Maybe some dealers' lists trying to pawn them off as small & peaceful??

[Andrew C]

I was actually using Neil's list for South American Dwarf Cichlids genera on the home page to find out about the different genera.
http://www.apistogramma.com/cms/menu/S._American_Dwarf_Cichlids/

[Mike Wise]

With all due respect to Neil, I doubt that many aquarists consider all of his genera "dwarf", certainly not the many aquarists who have written books on dwarf cichlids. But, as I said before, everyone can have their own definition of what is a dwarf cichlid.

[Andrew C]

Mike
Thanks again.

[AquaAlbatros]

Just my 2 cents..
I don't understand how can a bujurquina vittata or similar be grouped with apistogrammas, i had bujus on my aquarium for a year : they grow big,and are not compatible with apistos or any tetra species, they are "ocassional feeders" on anything that is smaller than his mounth.
Best regards,
Juan.-

[Andrew C]

Neil's definition of a dwarf cichlid is why he includes the other species of South American Dwarf Cichlids which are outwith the standard size, etc; http://www.apistogramma.com/cms/Articles/General_Dwarf_Cichlid_Articles/What_Exactly_Is_A_Dwarf_Cichlid/

[AquaAlbatros]

Never read the article before, just some observations on his criteria.

1. No or minimal live plant destruction.
uprooting glosso it's minimal ??, my bujuquinas were excellent gardeners :biggrin:

# No or minimal substrate excavation. This does not include limited cave digging associated with breeding.
Ok for bujus
# They can be housed individually with other cichlids. This means a single specimen can be kept with other species of cichlids.
Not for bujurquinas, they will eat apistos if they can.
# Minimal predatory instincts. This suggests that they must have food requirements other than their tank-mates, as well as accepting of non-cichlid species ( see 5)
Ok
# Can be kept with "dither" fish. This suggests that other fish won’t be regularly killed during non-breeding times.
My collected bujurquinas slowly "dissapear" my tetras one by week :mad:
# Males and females of that species can be housed together.
Ok
# Can be bred in a 30 inch x 12 inch tank (20gal. long), although larger quarters would be more appropriate.
Ok
# Juveniles can be housed together as a group at sub-adult size. Some juvenile cichlids start killing or eating each other at a young age (i.e. Various Hemichromis species show cannibalism by 2 to 3cm).
Ok

It's an interesting approach to define a limit.-
Best regards,
Juan