first cichlid tank setup

[bbhariz]

I am re-setting my 50 gallon tank as for perameters its a tall tank 12 inches in width 30 inches long and 24 inches tall I believe I have a couple of plants half plastic half real I do have some drift wood and I have plenty of rocks and hiding space all I need is to know which cichlids are suitable for this kind of enviornment I was thinking along the lines of cichlids from milawi I just need to know suggestions on which ones I can get and how much i can get and are they compatable with rainbow sharks pictus catfish and clown loaches and pleco catfish and as for pH I get about 7.6-7.8 straight out of the tap water and I'm not sure about the hardness so I really need advice on what I just mentioned here any advise will be much appreciated

 

[Andrew McFadden]

If you want Africans you'll need to look into shell dwellers for that size tank.

 

[christine2012]

If you want Africans you'll need to look into shell dwellers for that size tank.

+1 you'll have major issues if you put malawis in that tank! I second the shellies. Its not always the size of the tank, its the footprint that counts most

 

[bbhariz]

What can I do then to improve my tank and make it livable for them and sorry for replying so late I'm awfully busy

 

[Andrew McFadden]

You can do almost anything that stays under 4" but closer to 3" would be preferred. Like this
Caudopunctatus Cichlid (Neolamprologus caudopunctatus)
Jeweled Goby Cichlid (Tanganicodus irsacae)

What I always do is look around online to build a list of what I want and what I can get. Those are available at WWW.liveaquaria.com

 

[bbhariz]

Thank you so much

 

[Freakgecko91]

I love my shellies and a 50 gallon could support an extremely large colony of them! You wouldn't have much movement, but the social behavior is second to none