Aquatic Concepts

Also known as the Red, Albino and Tiger Oscar.
Originating in the waters of the Amazon, the Oscar fish is another extremely popular tropical fish. Their popularity stems from their personality, which has been compared to that of a puppy. Many keepers experience begging around meal times or the seemingly playful greetings they receive from their fish when they get home.
There are a few color varieties including albino, olive-green, brown and dark gray. They can get quite large, usually 12-14 inches and should be kept in a 55 gallon or larger aquarium. The Oscar is also known for being one of the more messy tropical fish to keep. Try to get the best filtration system possible for them and be prepared to perform frequent water changes. They are known to rearrange their environment from time to time and to bash in to filter uptake tubes and heaters. If you are wanting to keep live plants in an aquarium you may not want to get an Oscar because they love to dig up plants. They are also very good jumpers, so a heavy hood is a necessity.
They will eat most flakes, pellets, frozen, freeze dried and live foods including any other fish they share a tank with that are small enough to fit in their mouths.

The Electric Yellow African Cichlid is also known as the Yellow Lab or Electric Yellow Lab and gets its rather unusual name as a result of its brilliant yellow coloration, setting it apart from other cichlids. Considered a new species and referred to commercially as Labidochromis tanganicae, this cichlid lives in the waters of Lake Malawi between the islands of Charo and Mbowe. First displayed at Burundi in the early 1980's and exported from there, the Electric Yellow was mistakenly believed to come from Lake Tanganyika. Small Electric Yellows will often not show the vivid black striping on the fins until they mature and age.

A peaceful and shy cichlid when compared to the temperament of other African Cichlids, Electric Yellow would be considered semi-aggressive in a standard fresh water aquarium. The aquarium should include a sandy bottom, robust plants, caves, and rocks.

The female lays her eggs on the surface of rocks and then scoops them into her mouth where they brood for 18 days before being released.

The Electric Yellow Lab needs both meaty foods and greens such as brine shrimp, blood worms, and quality flake or pellet food containing vegetable matter.

The name "Gold Nugget Pleco" is short for "Gold Nugget Plecostomus." It is a suckermouth catfish which was first captured and exported to Great Britain in 1981. Due to the abundance of stock available in the catfish category, it has become very difficult to categorize them by species.

The Gold Nugget Pleco is a shy bottom-dweller that appreciates plenty of driftwood in its environment.

Unfortunately, the Gold Nugget's breeding habits have not been documented.

Feeding the Gold Nugget Pleco is not difficult due to the fact that it is not a finicky eater. Feeding off the bottom of the tank, it gets most of its nutrition from left over food and algae. If there is no algae or left over food present, supplement with high quality flake food, sinking carnivore pellets, and freeze-dried bloodworms and tubifex.

Electric Blue Ahli Cichlid
A typical Malawian with stunning coloration, Electric Blue Ahli Cichlid is as attractive as it is popular. Also known as Haplochromis Big Eye, Sciaenochromis ahli displays a shimmering blue sheen that is brighter in males. African Catfish such as the Synodontis Lace Catfish or Synodontis Multipunctatus Catfish make great scavengers in an aquarium with this fish. Other members of the Haplochromis also make fine companions including Hap. Compressiceps Cichlid or Hap. Moorii Cichlid. It will likely get along with most Malawians, making the Assorted African Cichlids a great accompaying choice. This fish may uproot, eat, or destroy many fine-limbed plants, but should do OK with live plants such as those contained in the Rough Stuff Plant Packages. To help maintain best color and health, Cichlid Vegi Formula and PetSolutions Cichlid Food make excellent diet staples.

Demasoni Cichlid
One of the "dwarf" Mbuna, the Pseodotropheus demasoni is one outstandingly spectacular and feisty cichlid from Lake Malawi. Originally described by Ad Konings in 1974, this cichlid is smaller than most but can still be “scrappy” in defense of its territories among the rocky environment. Reaching about 3 inches in length, males have more vibrant colors than females. Unlike many other cichlids, even smaller colored specimens will display the bright coloration of the adults, adding a vivid blue hue to the home aquarium. Demasoni Cichlid will swim by following the contours of the bottom and can be found “hugging” the sides of caves and rocks. Able to back down larger fish, it is best to not keep other blue colored cichlids in the same aquarium to cut down on aggression. The Demasoni is a mouthbrooder and the female will carry the fry for 14-21 days before releasing them into the aquarium. Very similar in appearance to the Pseudotropheus minutus , the bar pattern is more distinct on the Demasoni.

The Black Convict Cichlid is a beautifully marked cichlid. Sometimes called Zebra Cichlid or Convict Cichlid, this fish has a pattern of black stripes on a grayish background and a greenish tint on the fins. The female has orange scales on her lower body and dorsal fins and the male is larger, less colorful, has a steeper forehead and longer fins. As it ages, the male will acquire a fatty lump on the forehead. A stunning addition to any aquarium, they are not recommended for the community tank due to their aggressive tendencies.

The Black Convict Cichlid requires a 30 gallon minimum tank, with a gravel bottom, rocks and plenty of hiding places among the rocks or some inverted pots. Floating plants are recommended as a form of cover. Because of their aggressive nature, Black Convict Cichlids should only be housed with other more aggressive fish of the same size or larger.

The Black Convict Cichlid is a cave-breeder and will accept a range of water conditions. To promote breeding, increase the water temperature between 75-79°F. Some females will spawn between a cave and an open area. The Black Convict Cichlid readily pairs and forms a patriarch/matriarch family and both the male and female will care for the young. The fry will respond to signals from both the male and the female.

The Black Convict Cichlid is omnivorous and will eat most prepared and frozen foods, including freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, and ocean plankton, as well as flake food and Cichlid pellets.