Cichlid Tank Mates

Egrant

Hey guys!
I will be setting up the 125G next weekend!! After a trip to the local landscaper I now of some cool looking rocks and everything I need but the rest of my fish. After looking online at different set ups I have noticed that a lot of people put Rainbow Sharks or Red tail Sharks in with South African Cichlids. I have also seen tin foil barbs and angel fish. Are all of these people just ignoring what should be done or is it ok to do??? Although I love cichlids, if I can put others in with I would like to.
Thank you for your help and I am open to any suggestions.

Byron

If by south African you mean rift lake cichlids, then angelfish and tin foil barbs have no place in with them. The so-called sharks are highly aggressive themselves, and likely to make trouble even for the cichlids, so this is not a good mix. Aside from the aggressive issues that could occur, the water parameters are vastly different--or should be if the fishes' health matters.

There are some medium and large catfish that do OK with rift lakes; I'll leve it for one of our cichlid experts to suggest which species.