Cichlid info from Pet Smart

[rogers138]

I went to Pet Smart yesterday and I was looking at some Labidochromis caeruleus (Electric Yellow) and some Pseudotropheus demasoni cichlids. The little piece of paper they have next to the fish said they need a 30gal + tank and are for advanced aquarists.
Don't they need something a bit larger like a 55gal? Are they referring to just one Electric Yellow for a 30gal? Don't Electric Yellow's get around 6" and above?
The Fish Department Manager said you could put them in a few Electric Yellow's a 30gal and they'll be fine. What do you guys think?

[Brian Bivens]

They do better the bigger the tank.. Most people say nothing smaller than 50 gallons for Cichlids. Petsmart really lists minimum requirements for sustaining life, not for creating a habitat for your new pets.

They also say you need 1+ gallon for Otocinclus, which really should be housed in groups (I know mine are in pairs), and need a tank big enough to feed plenty of algae..

[elementkid65]

i believe africans need at least 36" long but bigger once the fish get bigger.

[jm1212]

a 55 is generally suggested because it allows for a greater area and heavier stocking to help with aggression.

[Lupin]

They do better the bigger the tank.. Most people say nothing smaller than 50 gallons for Cichlids. Petsmart really lists minimum requirements for sustaining life, not for creating a habitat for your new pets.
I find the line I colored in red very broad. The cichlid group is a very diverse category.