Membership in the ACA becomes effective the month after dues are received. They are found in the tropical freshwaters of Africa, South and Central America, India, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar where they have radiated dramatically into a dazzling array of shapes, colors and forms. There are approximately 1500 species known to science, with most of these found in the Great Rift Lakes of Eastern Afric - Lakes Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria. Aside from their beautiful colors which often approximate those of marine reef fishes, what makes these fishes popular with aquarists is their interesting reproductive behavior. Cichlids exhibit elaborate courtship rituals, often pair-bond, and practice parental care of their eggs and young.
Some species are mouthbrooders, picking up their eggs for incubation in their throat cavities.
Cichlids are easily bred in the aquarium where aquarists can watch these interesting behaviors firsthand. For that reason, cichlids have become amongst the most popular of tropical aquarium fishes. Convention Update - Read the latest news about the 2001 Convention. Now underway is an effort to bring the historic Species Index files to the ACA web site. In addition to the video clips here are a lot more photos of fish, tanks, displays and people from Convention.