Identification book suggestions?

[Steve]

I'm still somewhat new at this so I am amazed how some of you guys know all these species by looking at them. Can anyone suggest maybe a book that will help a newbie like me identify / learn all these species?

[linuxrulesusa]

Cichlid-forum.com has a really helpful species section   if you know the origi. Eg which lake and general type of fish it can be very helpful.

[Marty]

Cichlidae.com is another good reference.

Fishbase.org is helpful as well, but it's a little more difficult to use.

[LoveTheFishies]

I've done a lot of research.  More "book smart" than "tank smart" but hope this helps.

Here's the link to cichlid-forum. 
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/african_cichlid_genus_gallery.php

This has a listing of various Africans.
http://malawicichlids.com/
http://www.riftlakes.com/

Some more basic info on African and south American.
http://cichlidadvice.com/index.html

[Regalblue]

Everything listed plus..... http://www.malawimayhem.com/  (warning - their forums suck, but the profiles are pretty good.)

I gathered most of my info from reading any & every book I could get my hands on. You have it much easier now, the internet has everything listed.

My tip - learn the genus' specifics first. Most all of the species in any genus are VERY similar in behavior & needed care.

[four_by_ken]

Great post.

[lilscoots]

+1 to learning genus specifics in aiding care and behavior, mostly because currently, africans are described/catagorized by morphology and behavior rather than actual relatedness...It's a rich history in the lakes...one science has only scratched the surface of.

Also, we are very lucky indeed with the availability of information on the internet.  Many of us have come by our knowledge through countless hours of reading and searching and viewing images as well as experience in the aquarium.