Small Cichlid Tank, Need Some Help

[Zante]

I want to set up a cichlid tank at work, so it needs to use London's tap water and be low maintenance.
If I were to go for Malawi or Tanganyika cichlids that would be no problem, but I'm looking in another direction.
 
So far I've found two candidates for the tank:
- A pair of Thorichthys ellioti (possibly with a few platys)
- A pair of Hemichromis Lifalili and nothing else.
 
(not both, either/or)
 
I do get the feeling though that the tank might be a bit small for either option. It's a Juwel Rekord 800.
 
I have considered a shelldweller tank but that will be a last resort. I have also considered a pair of Channa orientalis (I know, not cichlids), and I'm open to suggestions I haven't thought about.
 
It will be a while before I can set up the tank as we will have to move office, and I won't be setting it up to move it in one or two months' time, but I like to have everything planned before I even start and it gives me plenty of time to think.

 

[Akasha72]

hello! long time no hear! Hope your okay
 
You'll probably remember I had a Rekord 800 (it now lives in my shed until the day I can escape this hell hole and move somewhere bigger!) I kept my cuvicep cichlids in it and my bolivian rams until the Rio 180 arrived and I had no problems. It a deceptive tank, it's actually bigger than it looks! 
 
What's the water like in London? Soft or Hard?

 

[Zante]

Not too bad, not too bad...
 
The water's quite hard.
Ph out of the tap is between 7.5 and 8.5, depending on the area and Kh is around 13

 

[Akasha72]

kick me up the backside if I've got it wrong but I seem to remember the ellioti's like it quite soft? I guess you could always go down the route of trying a peat substrate to soften the water but then it makes water changes slightly difficult. It guess there's always the R.O route too for that. It is do-able I reckon if your clever ... which you are! You know more than I do! lol 

 

[Zante]

Elliotis are central american, and like it rather hard (not very hard).
 
Yeah, I'd have no problem messing with water parameters, I have a discus tank at home tat's running on a Kh between 1 and 2, but here I want to keep it as simple as possible. The tank will be in the office and I want to simply use straight tap water for the water changes.

 

[Akasha72]

ahh well your okay then ... I'd go ahead and do it Remembering of course to share some photo's