Welcome to the forum! I'll try to help you to the best of my ability.
Which varieties/Tank mates.
There are 3 lakes that supply African Cichlids, Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi, and Lake Tanganikya. Here's a great article explaining the differences.
[URL="http
/"http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lakes_east_africa.php""]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lakes_east_africa.php[/URL]
Those from Lake Malawi are the most popular, so I'm going to base my suggestions on those species. Within Lake Malawi, there are 3 groups of cichlids: haps, peacocks, and mbuna. Here are two articles explaining those.
[URL="http/"http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/haps_vs_mbuna.php""]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/haps_vs_mbuna.php[/URL]
[URL="http/"http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/peacocks.php""]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/peacocks.php[/URL]
Now, since mbuna are probably the most popular fish from Lake Malawi, and are what most people think of when they hear African cichlids, I'll assume those are the fish you are interested in. There are several hundred species of mbuna, so it's quite difficult to just suggest some. The best thing to do is to go to your LFS, or check the website if you are ordering online to see what is available to you. Write down all the names of the fish you like (scientific names are best), then research them here
[URL="http/"http/www.fishforums.net/category/41/African-Cichlid-Profiles/""]http/www.fishforums.net/category/41/Afri...chlid-Profiles/[/URL] or here
[URL="http/"http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/""]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/[/URL]; and post on here for help with stocking.
Your tank is ~56 US gallons, so here's a great link for stocking suggestions for a 55 gallon.
[URL="http/"http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_55g.php""]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_55g.php[/URL]
African Cichlids are an aggressive bunch, so should be kept only with other african cichlids, however, just to be contrary, there are a few catfish that can be kept with them. Any of the
synodontis catfish, and most plecos (especially bristlenose) work well with them. It's not recommended to mix species from the different lakes because of differing aggression and dietary requirements. It's also not a good idea to mix mbuna, peacocks, and haps together for the same reasons. In very large tanks with careful planning you could mix them, but I really don't recommend it for a beginner african keeper.
Stocking Level
You'll want to aim for a total of 12-15 adults if you go for mbuna, the preferred ratio is 1m/3 or more females. While very peaceful species such as
labidochromis caeruleus & pseudotropheus acei won't be a problem with multiple males, most other species should be kept with only one male.
Tank Habitat/Decor
Mbuna are rock-dwelling cichlids, those that live and breed in rock caves and crevices, so your decor should consist of lots of rocks. They also love to dig, so sand is the preferred substrate, you can go with regular play sand, or aragonite (usually marketed for saltwater tanks) which will help buffer your PH & KH. If you want live plants, java ferns/moss and anubias species work well, but make sure you have them attached to something as mbuna will dig them up. Other plants can work, however, the key seems to be having so many plants they can't eat or dig them all up at once. They will happily rearrange your entire tank for you, so if you are very particular on how your tank looks they aren't for you.
Because they dig so much, you'll want to place your rocks on the bottom before adding your substrate to avoid collapsing rock piles. Here's a great link for member tanks to give you ideas/inspiration.
[URL="http/"http/www.fishforums.net/content/African-Old-World-Cichlids/169788/Members-African-Cichlid-Tanks/""]http/www.fishforums.net/content/African-...-Cichlid-Tanks/[/URL]
Anything else, peculiar to African Cichlids, that I should be aware of before I start buying the tank, equipment and fish.
The best advice I can give you is to research, research, research. Mbuna have tons of character, and because of that you need to be careful of which species you put together. Impulse buys are definitely a no-no with these fish, also avoid any tanks marked "Mixed Africans" or "Malawi Community", most if not all of those fish are hybrids and with mbuna unknown parentage can lead to a disaster. Also, scientific names are very important with these guys, common names don't tell you much, for example Powder Blue or Electric Blue cichlid can be up to 6 different species all varying vastly in aggression levels. Also, because mbuna are overstocked to help cut down on aggression, plenty of filtration is an absolute must. Generally you'll want your filter/s to turn over your tank 7-15 times per hour. I prefer a two filter set up, I have a Fluval canister and an Aquaclear HOB, but it's up to you.
Here are some more links that I consider vital to research African Cichlids, and as always, if you have anymore questions, please feel free to ask. -Dawn
[URL="http/"http/www.fishforums.net/content/African-Old-World-Cichlids/27706/The-Mbuna-Aquarium/""]http/www.fishforums.net/content/African-...Mbuna-Aquarium/[/URL]
[URL="http/"http/www.fishforums.net/content/African-Old-World-Cichlids/98179/Feeding-Mbuna/""]http/www.fishforums.net/content/African-.../Feeding-Mbuna/[/URL]
[URL="http/"http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/rock_metals.php""]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/rock_metals.php[/URL]
[URL="http/"http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/plants_101.php""]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/plants_101.php[/URL]
[URL="http/"http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/feeding_mbuna.php""]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/feeding_mbuna.php[/URL]
Then again, mbuna are very food oriented.
