How to Care for Pearl Cichlid Fish in an Aquarium
Are you looking for some ways to care for pearl cichlid fish in an aquarium? Find out the information in this article.
Are you looking for easy-to-care fish for an aquarium? Consider caring for pearl cichlid fish. They are well-known for durability and attractiveness. Besides, pearl cichlid fish are easy to breed. That’s why many fish aquarium lovers like keeping them in an aquarium. If you plan to keep them, read this article to figure out how to care for pearl cichlid fish.
Set Up an Aquarium
The first step on how to care for pearl cichlid fish is to set up an aquarium. You need to provide a mid-sized aquarium. It will be better if the aquarium covers at least 40 gallons in size. This type of aquarium can keep a pearl cichlid individually, a pair of pearl cichlids, or a pearl cichlid with other fish.
After setting up an aquarium, you need to put the water inside the aquarium. Pearl cichlid fish prefer to have slower moving water with good quality filtration. Decorate the aquarium with gravel substrate and fine sand, rocks, and roots to create hiding territories.
Create a Comfortable Environment
The pearl cichlids are found in eastern and southern Uruguay and Brazil. These fish live in brackish water or coastal drainage. As the types of water vary from stagnant impenetrable water to fast-flowing clear water, the pearl cichlids need to have a comfortable environment in an aquarium.
Therefore, you need to set up neutral to slightly acidic water with a pH of 6,5 to 7 and a water temperature between 24 to 27 degrees Celsius (75 - 81 degrees Fahrenheit).
Feed Fish with Good Food
Feeding is the next step on how to care for pearl cichlid fish. When it comes to feeding, pearl cichlid fish do not require specific diets. They will eat all the diets given. Since they are omnivores, you can feed them with varied diets.
Yet, you need to provide them with qualified foods like cichlid pellets or flakes as the staple food. Besides those staple diets, you can treat them with a combination of frozen diets and a mixture of live foods, such as insects, artemia, krill, chopped earthworms, prawns, blood worms, and brine shrimp. Make sure to feed them 2 to 5 small pinches of diets a day instead of giving them a large quantity.
Select Compatible Mates
The pearl cichlids are semi-aggressive and temperamental fish. It means it is better to care for this fish as a single or a compatible pair. Yet, you can have compatible companions for the fish if you plan to have some mates in an aquarium; select medium to big-sized mates, like characins, suckermouth catfish, and Brochis catfish. They are ideal companions for pearl cichlid fish.
Keep the Aquarium Clean
Another way how to care for pearl cichlid fish is to keep the aquarium clean. Even though this type of fish can tolerate a wide range of water conditions, you need to pay attention to the cleanliness of the housing. To keep the housing clean, you can replace 25 to 30% of the water biweekly. When changing or replacing the water, use a gravel cleaner to remove the decomposing organic matter.
In conclusion, keeping the pearl cichlid fish in an aquarium doesn’t require complicated ways. Yet, you still need to pay attention to how to care for pearl cichlid fish. That way, you can create a healthy and comfortable environment for the fish.
Sources
https://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/PearlCichlid.php
https://en.aqua-fish.net/fish/pearl-cichlid
https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/help-and-advice/freshwater/cichlids/pearl-cichlid