What are cichlids?
Cichlids (pronounced “sick-lids”) are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. The family Cichlidae, a major family of perciform fish, is both large and diverse. Estimates of the number of cichlid species range from 1,900 to 2,200, making it one of the three largest vertebrate families. Cichlids span a wide range of body sizes, from species as small as 2.5 centimeters (1.0 in.) in length (e.g. neolamprologus multifasciatus ) to much larger species approaching 1 metre (3 ft) in length (e.g. boulengerochromis and cichla).
