What are the prettiest African Cichlids?

What African cichlids to put together in a 29 gal tank?

• ok Im looking at setting up a new tank....with African Cichlids, and I want some moderately friendly semi agressive cichlids, which ones from the African breed would fit suitable, whats the max amount of fish I can put in? what rocks will go well in the tank I am looking at re-creating a scene as close as possible to their natural habitat.. and Id like some colorful bright cichlids :)

• Answer:

  Unfortunately, most of the common African Cichlids aren't exaclty "friendly". The closest you can get with that is the Electric Yellow Lab (Labidochromis caeruleus), and even then, you'd need them to be the only species, with only 3-4, only one being a male. A much better option would be something like a pair of Kribs (Pelvicachromis pulcher) and a group of African Killifish. Even more simple would be a South American Cichlid setup! A pair of Rams or Apistos, along with a nice school of moderately sized Tetras (Phantoms, Black Skirts, Silvertips, etc.), and 10ish Hatchetfish at the surface. This would likely be more interesting to watch than just a few fish on the African side... at least, I think it is. The Rift Lake Cichlids you'd potentially be looking at (Yellow Labs) are native to sandy bottoms covered with fairly large rocks, the crevices between which they take up residence in. The Kribs and South American options have very similar habitats-- extremely rich flora, considerable wood (from fallen trees/branches/roots, etc.), and generally, very turbid water from the incredible amount of sediment and nutrients the water carries.