Keeping Africans is not always for the faint of heart 
: I have had success in the past keeping auratus in small numbers with larger aggressive mbunas. IME every situation is unique. I have had groups of mbunas that have lived together successfully for years until the alpha fish dies for some reason and all hell breaks loose. Previously passive fish rise up and start killing their tank mates.
Keeping Africans requires that you give them a lot of hidey holes (more than most people think is sufficient) and also watchfulness and dilligence on the part of the aquarist. If you see a fish that is trying to hide behind filter parts or is making itself inconspicuous at the surface in the corner, that fish is in trouble. They have essentially given up trying to find a hidey hole and, in the wild, would have vacated the area in search of another place to call home. You need to get them out of the tank or the alpha fish will eventually chase them to death.
If you have the available tank space i.e. other tanks to put trouble fish, and you enjoy working with your aquarium environment and fiddling with the fish then African cichlids are a blast. Personally, they are my favorite, more enjoyable than South American, Asian, or marine setups. However, many hobbyists like to put the fish in, do weekly maintenance, watch and enjoy. If this is the case, I do not recommend Africans.
Best Regards...
: I have had success in the past keeping auratus in small numbers with larger aggressive mbunas. IME every situation is unique. I have had groups of mbunas that have lived together successfully for years until the alpha fish dies for some reason and all hell breaks loose. Previously passive fish rise up and start killing their tank mates.Keeping Africans requires that you give them a lot of hidey holes (more than most people think is sufficient) and also watchfulness and dilligence on the part of the aquarist. If you see a fish that is trying to hide behind filter parts or is making itself inconspicuous at the surface in the corner, that fish is in trouble. They have essentially given up trying to find a hidey hole and, in the wild, would have vacated the area in search of another place to call home. You need to get them out of the tank or the alpha fish will eventually chase them to death.
If you have the available tank space i.e. other tanks to put trouble fish, and you enjoy working with your aquarium environment and fiddling with the fish then African cichlids are a blast. Personally, they are my favorite, more enjoyable than South American, Asian, or marine setups. However, many hobbyists like to put the fish in, do weekly maintenance, watch and enjoy. If this is the case, I do not recommend Africans.
Best Regards...
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