Ali Fish - Care instructions, classification of beautiful, popular Ali fish

Ali fish, an ornamental fish of the Cichlidae family, has a beautiful appearance, colorful colors, is easy to raise, affordable, and suitable for raising in aquariums.

The Ali fish (Altolamprologus calvus) is a native African ornamental fish with a colorful appearance, strong, easy to raise and many interesting habits, very suitable for keeping in aquariums.

If you want to learn more about Ali fish and know how to take care of them to have beautiful colors and grow well, please refer to the article below of Nice Fish!

Information about Ali fish :

Origin of Ali fish

Ali, an ornamental fish native to Africa.

The Ali fish, scientifically known as Altolamprologus calvus, is a native species originating from Lake Tanganyika - a large, deepest freshwater lake in the world located in Africa. They live at a depth of 3 - 40 meters, in the reefs along the lake, where there are many crevices and crevices for hiding and breeding.

Thanks to its impressive and beautiful appearance, this fish has been bred and developed in many Asian countries. In Vietnam, this fish appeared around the years 90, 91, then after a long period of crossbreeding, many lines with impressive colors and appearances were formed and loved by aquarium hobbyists.

Ali fish physical characteristics

An Ali fish tank with many different colors.

Although Ali fish have many variations and many different hybrid lines, in general they still have some characteristics of the Emperor fish group - African Cichlids, specifically as follows:

• Size : Average 8 - 15 cm, some individuals can be 20 cm long.
• Body shape : Flat body, much smaller in width than in length, long, sloping forehead, large fan-shaped tail.
• Color : Rich such as yellow, red, starlight, electric light, white, gradient,...
• Fins : Dorsal fin extends along the body, ventral fin, caudal fin large, soft.
• Scales : Shiny, some lines also have metallic or electroluminescent effects.
• Eyes : Big, round, symmetrical.
• Mouth : Wide, slightly pointed.
• Male fish : Usually have darker, more vibrant colors.
• Female fish : Much paler than male fish.

Ali fish behavior

Ali fish like to live in schools when young.

Despite its small to medium size, the Ali fish is quite fierce and territorial. Let’s learn more about some of the typical characteristics of this fish species.

Ali is highly territorial.

Most Ali fish are highly territorial, especially the males when they are adults. They like to find areas with lots of rocks and caves to make their homes and chase away invading carp species.

Quite belligerent

Ali is a rather hot-tempered fish, especially during the breeding season or the fighting period. However, they also know how to control themselves and never fight to the death, but tend to run away when injured.

Live in a pack as a child

Although territorial, Ali fish like to gather in schools when young, especially with other colored Ali fish such as yellow, red, OB, white, starlight,...

Oral reproduction

Unlike many other ornamental fish, the Ali fish reproduces by mouth incubation. After laying eggs, the mother fish will hold the eggs in her mouth for 2-3 weeks before releasing the fry. During that time, the mother fish eats very little or not at all, it just needs a quiet environment and does not want to be disturbed.

Detailed guide to raising Ali fish for beginners

Ali fish can be kept in an aquarium with other fish species.

If you are a first-time Ali fish breeder and need to learn more about raising healthy, beautifully colored fish, please refer to the instructions below.

Prepare the aquarium for Ali fish

To keep Ali fish healthy, comfortable and growing well, you need to design a tank that meets the following requirements:

• Tank size : 60 - 80 cm or 80 - 120 cm if raising many fish.
• Filtration system : Use external filtration or strong waterfall filtration.
• Led light : Use LED light system specialized for ornamental fish, with medium light.
• Tank substrate : Use gravel, fine gravel or even bare substrate.
• Aquarium decoration : Place lots of rocks, caves, and shells for the fish to hide in. Aquatic plants should have roots that cling to rocks because this fish likes to dig the substrate.

Optimal water standards for Ali fish

Water quality is the most important factor in deciding how to raise fish. To keep Ali fish healthy and long-lived, you need to meet the following water parameters:

• Temperature : 25 - 28 degrees Celsius.
• pH : 7.8 - 8.5, slightly alkaline water.
• Hardness : 8 - 12 dGH.
• Change water : Every week, change 20 - 30% of the water in the tank and remove sediment at the bottom to maintain water quality.

What do Ali fish eat?

Ali is an omnivorous fish, eats well and is easy to raise. They can eat the following foods:

• Pellet feed : Choose pellet feed specifically for Cichlid fish such as Azoo, XO,...
• Live food : Bloodworms, shrimp, beef heart, bo bo,...
• Vegetables : You can feed fish boiled vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, peas,...
• Coloring food : You can add food to help the fish have beautiful colors such as bran containing spirulina and astaxanthin.

Common diseases in Ali fish and how to treat them

Here are some common diseases in Ali fish, let's learn together to know how to prevent and handle them promptly.

Our grandparents have a saying that prevention is better than cure, so to keep fish healthy and less susceptible to the above diseases, you need to keep a stable, high-quality, clean water environment, avoid stressing the fish, be careful with fresh food sources,...

Ali fish species common in Vietnam

Currently, Ali fish have many different color variations, however, in the Vietnamese ornamental fish market, the most popular Ali fish are yellow, red, star, white, electric light,...

Goldfish

Ali fish is bright yellow.

This is a color variation of Ali fish that is very popular in Vietnam. The whole body of the fish is bright yellow, most of the dorsal fin has a thin black border, mature size is from 8 - 12 cm, gentle, friendly temperament, likes to live in groups.

Red Thai Ali Fish

Red Thai Ali fish max size with bright red color.

This is an Ali fish imported from Thailand, with a very prominent red or orange-red color, often bred from Maylandia estherae (Red Zebra), Metriaclima zebra red or OB Red. This fish has a rather aggressive temperament, especially during the breeding season.

Ali horse face fish

Image of Ali fish with horse face.

This is a type of ALi fish with a long, slightly sloping head, looking from the side it looks a bit like a horse's face. This fish has many colorful colors but is mainly blue or metallic blue. The size when fully grown is from 10 - 13 cm, the temperament is a bit aggressive, active, loved for its slightly "strange" appearance compared to the usual Ali.

Ali star fish

Ali's super outstanding appearance.

This is a favorite Ali fish variant because of its extremely beautiful appearance, with a dark blue or dark blue body, highlighted by tiny white spots like starlight, the size of the fish when mature is from 10 - 15 cm. This fish is quite aggressive, and the male will color early, with more obvious spots than the female.

White Ali Fish

White Ali fish.

The white Ali fish has a snow white or opaque white body, the result of crossbreeding and genetic selection from the Malawi fish. This fish species has an average size of 8 - 12 cm, is gentle, and likes to swim in schools.

Electric fish Ali

Electric fish Ali.

Electric Ali, also known as Electric Ali, Metallic Ali, is a variant of Ali fish with metallic blue color, sparkling like electric light. They are quite large in size from 10 - 15 cm, have a somewhat aggressive temperament, male fish have darker colors than female fish.

Ali fish price list

If you want to raise Ali fish but do not know whether the price of Ali fish is expensive or suitable for your finances, you can refer to the following price list.

Note when buying Ali fish :

• Choose fish that swim flexibly, have clear colors, and don't have ruffled fins...
• Ask carefully about the origin of the fish, whether it is imported, Vietnamese or F1 fish to suit breeding.
• You should choose reputable aquarium stores to get dedicated advice and ensure fish quality as well as reasonable prices.

Beautiful Ali fish pictures

If you love Ali fish and want to see many beautiful and unique Ali pictures, don't miss the collection we share below!

An Ali Peacok fish with striking colors.

Ali Demasoni fish with zebra-like coloration.

Ali Tropheus Ilangi fish with super unique colors.

Aquarium with beautiful and outstanding Ali fish

Through the above article of nicefish.net, hopefully you have a better understanding of the origin, appearance as well as how to raise and care for Ali fish . This is a beautiful ornamental fish, affordable and also very easy to raise, suitable for even those who raise fish with little experience.

Don't forget to visit our Blog section to learn more about other beautiful aquarium fish!