african ciclids

Question
QUESTION: my friend just gave me a 55 gallon tank and i want to set it up for african cichlids. he also gave me a fish with the tank. it is 2 years old and is called a maingano or something like that. what do i need to buy to set up this tank for africans. also how do i go about choosing fish and how many can i have? can i also keep the african i have in with the new fish i buy. what is the best type of algae eater to put in the tank with them and how many of those should i have?

ANSWER: John,
I would set it up with a lot of caves and hiding places for africans. Use crushed coral for gravel to keep the PH up.
You don't need live plants.
I would get about 8 more fish.
One male electric yellow lab, and 3 females.
Also, One male electric blue ahli and 3 females.
The best algae eater is a common pleco or a few apple snails.
Cichlids require a certain salt level so you need to buy cichlid lake salt also.
I hope I covered it!

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QUESTION: i recently went to the store to look at the different types of africans they had.  every store that i went to had all the africans in one tank and labeled them assorted africans. how can i tell what types they are so i can get the fish that you told me are compatible. when i asked for help determining what these fish are no one could help me. they just said thay are africans. they were also half the size of my african that i have now. should i try buying the fish online somewhere? also do i need to start my tank over like it is brand new and only add fish a few at a time or can i buy them all at once and put them in together? what is the best thing to use to create caves and other hiding places that is inexpensive?

Answer
John,
That's a tough thing for me to answer without seeing the fish. You really cannot tell what they are if they are not labeled. If the store doesn't know, I cannot help there.
Buying fish online is expensive shipping.
You can do a google search for "buy african cichlids online" and choose the ones I mentioned the last time, or find another store even if you have to travel up to an hour.
You don't need to start all over as long as you have a fish in the tank now.
Caves are best purchased from the pet shop.
You can use Tuffa stones and fake driftwood. They are nice. Plus, they sell a product called cichlid hotels :-)
They are a series of hiding places.
The cheapest thing is to use 2 inch PVC pipe. After a while they turn green and look neat. The fish love them