Thanks for the helpful info. I think I'll end up getting more fish than I originally planned, since I can, and it is even desirable to have more! I think I'll end up getting 2 of everything, except maybe the livingstoni. This is kinda going to be a xmas present frrom me to my boyfriend, who actually took a liking to the cichlids before I did; a present that I can also enjoy.

I was wondering what the max. fish load would be in my tank. The two filters I have on there now are a Whisper 40 (rated for a 40g tank) and a Penguin "125" which is roughly 8 inches wide by 7 deep. The tank is a 45-g high, roughly the same floor space as a 30-l, but taller.


I do have a past with these fish. I was given a 30-g tank with roughly ten of them, circa 1997. They did OK, but tended to die off one by one for some reason; they were, though, old fish when I got them, all around 6 inches in length, but they could have been dwarfed by the tank size. There was a livingstoni amongst them, and I guess I want one now for sentimental reasons. Do you know if they are predatory to fish of their size, or toward smaller fish? I did read that they have a habit of playing dead and then siezing smalller fish that come closer to investigate. Maybe it would help if I got one that's smaller than the others?
I did read that electric yellow cichlids are docile compared to others. (quote from animal-world.com: "The Electric Yellow Cichlid or Lemon Drop Cichlid is one of the most peaceful fishes of mbuna species. They can live singly or in pairs and are not territorial."http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/electricyellow.php
I am kinda concerned that they will bear the brunt of the more territorial cichs. I guess that this could be remedied by adding a bunch of floating plants and lots of rocks and caves, maybe? I def. want to have the johannis, but I see that in your photos, the two are living together
Thanks for your help, so much.