2.1 Fish Husbandry
Juvenile-stage cichlids were purchased and housed in 40-gallon glass aquaria at ~28°C on a 14hr light/10hr dark cycle. Each aquarium was part of a recirculating system, with automated daily water changes and chemical dosing to ensure consistent water quality. Juvenile-stages were chosen to mitigate the confounding effects of dominance. It is also the period of development when all bony elements have formed but animals are still actively growing (Fujimura and Okada, 2007; 2008a; 2008b). Cichlid husbandry follows a protocol approved by the institutional animal care and use committee at the University of Massachusetts.