Newbie needs advice

Now, you didn't mention sand.... you'll have to alter how you vacuum your substrate (yes, that is the right word...), just grazing the surface to pick up the gunk on the top, without digging in and sucking all of your sand out....

I would be more worried about your africans beating up your cons than the other way around. I had 3 mixed dwarf africans in a 55 gallon with some much larger fish, including a 9" pleco, and the africans beat the pleco to death over territory.... they also did a number on some of the other, much larger cichlids in the tank. They have strength in numbers, I think.

Hmmmm... for a 28 gallon, I wouldn't do more than the pair of cons OR a pair or two of D.A.'s, otherwise, they will kill each other over territory. Otherwise, a few tough bottom-feeders (cory cats, for example, tend to tolerate almost any tankmate that can't outright swallow them... a raphael might be another good choice, they're too spiny to be chewed on, and they grow pretty slowly...) would complete the setup nicely. Don't go overboard, though, as cichlids need their space or they get really mean....
 
Also, regarding my tanks, I've currently only got the 10g set up, and it currently holds a CAE, a male betta, and an Oranda (to be grown out, of course... he can't stay there for much longer)

My other tank is broken down at the moment because I'm in the process of moving, so I sold all the stock back to the lfs. At various points over its history, it has housed cichlids of varying types, channel catfish (to be raised for a neighbor's pond), orandas, barracuda (I have the scars to prove it, too...), featherfin eels.... like I said, I'm a fan of tankbusters, and I only keep these guys temporarily and then sell them back to the store once they're big enough to be profitable (i.e., too big for a 55 gallon tank).... do as I say, not as I do. None of the fish I've kept in the past 5 years or so have been permanent additions to my collection, and I experiment with fish that are way out of range for a beginner.

When I get settled in the new house, I'll probably set it back up as a mormyrid setup, either that, or another featherfin will call it home for a couple of years....
 
Sorry for not telling you about the sand. Honestly I didn't think I had that much in there until it started appearing at the bottom of the bucket... Perhaps when I'm ready to give away/sell back the danios I could get the sand out, put heaps more gravel in, and then go cichlids.

That's great news about the cory cats, they've always seemed a cool little fish to have :) I'll go for a pair of convicts and three cories - the perfect tank! (except it doesn't have an oscar ;) ). Just wondering - what size tank do oscars need anyway? I know they grow to more than a foot long.

And as for barracuda, I'd stay away from them even if they were a beginner fish. I've heard how viscious they are!
 
I wouldn't mix american and african cichlids. Millions of years of divergent evolution have meant that they no longer speak each others' languages in terms of behaviour. They don't understand the signals that mean "OK, you win, I'm off" or "Don't put a fin across that line" or "Now you're really beginning to p!$$ me off". These could lead to worse aggression.

I think with your water you could do worse than have a mixed community of Tanganyikan cichlids (most Malawians require a larger tank than this for territories*). And I further think that N. brichardi is one of the most amazing looking fish going (not colourful as such, but *so* gracefully shaped.). That with a pair of julies and so on....

*Someone is going to tell me how they keep a community including M. auratus and P. zebra in a 15 gallon in a moment, I just know it....
 
I did a little research on brichardis and julies, and they look pretty cool. Your right about the brichardi's shape :)

Are these fish (convicts and the african dwarves) easy to find at fish stores? Which should I go for? I really like the look of the convicts, but I could have more fish with the africans. One more question - could I keep a betta with the cichlids?

BTW, the danios are still doing fine ;) The meal cut doesn't seem to be affecting them at all.
 
Depending on exactly where you're from, I am pretty sure that convicts and Africans are pretty easy to come by. You should be able to find them easily and for not much money, honestly.

I wouldn't necessarily keep bettas with cichlids. They've got awfully pretty fins, and they make for great target practice, if you know what I mean.... However, I've never tried, so I don't know for sure....
 
Bettas are not good at "holding their own," so to speak, with more aggressive fish (or even ones that are less aggressive), even ones of smaller size, as your cichlids might be at the start. I wouldn't chance having one with cichlids OF ANY TYPE.

If you want good target fish (placed in their to displace some aggression between the cichlids), you should look at Rainbowfish, Danios (which have the advantage of being fast), or possibly Loricariids (Plecos), which would serve the dual purpose of target fish and cleaners. Plecs are called armored catfish for a reason, too, and their combination of armor and fortitude match up well against any other fish when talking about other fish-cichlid relations.
 
If you do decide to get a pair of convicts then cories would be out of the question. Breeding pairs of convicts get VERY aggressive and will kill or seriously injure most types of fish. They will attack fish that are a lot bigger than themselves and eventually run the tank.
 
OK, I've gone and done a bit of research about the fish that most appealed to me at the lfs:

- N. brichardi (i love their tails...)
- Convicts (only AU$5!)
- Jewel cichlids (Red Forest variety). Very nice colouring! Is my tank big enough for these?

Since I couldn't keep the convicts with the brichardi or jewel, as they're both Old World, I'm leaning towards a pair of jewels and a brichardi or vice versa. Would this be alright for my tank? If so, which would be best?

Thanks again for your help, and sorry for not responding sooner ;)

PS. The danios are enjoying the four new plants I put in (plus some driftwood), and are even eating the black worms that my brother bought for his betta. The ammonia reading is there (which shows that the cycle is running) but quite low. I'm also purchasing a magnet algae cleaner, proper gravel cleaner and a Resun 200 watt heater. They should arrive by post in a week or two.
 
Your problem is that Jewels are a riverine species, and prefer neutral to acid, soft conditions, whilst the Brichardi are Tanganyikan and need hard alkaline water.

Going by your pH, your water is probably of the latter type. By all means get the brichardi, but leave out the Jewels. Jewels are also a lot more aggressive than brichardi and I'd expect blood on the rocks pretty soon.

In a 3' tank, you will end up with an extended family of brichardi of different ages.
 
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