garbage i agree with you about PH to a certain degree the problem is african cichlids dont seem to handle nitrites/nitrates as well as central/south american cichlids them seem to be a little more forgiven with there water chem..
I cant speak for anyone but myself but its been my experience that keeping the water highly filtered and aerated, and never missing a weekly water change/tank cleaning is the key to keeping african/american cichlids togeather in a healthy community.