new to cichlids, advice?
 

not gonna lie, i only have a 20long with a 50g filter
i Do have a bubble wall, and good amount of rock decorations,
trying to decide if i should go with maybe 4 smaller african cichlids
or a pair of south americans
i DID want to throw in a silvertip 'shark'/catfish regaurdless and i Do have a few hiding spots for it just incase, wich group of these would be more compatable with that catfish?
all advice is appreciated

You will not be able to keep the silvertip in there. It will get too big. As for South Americans, I would steer you more to the Central Americans. You could keep 2 convicts in there for sure. Possible a convict and firemouth. But your choices are limited. As for that catfish, that will have to be a no go, but there are plenty of other catfish to keep. Striped Raphael, Pictus (needs a shaol tho), and maybe a smaller pleco, like a rubber lip.

good to know, i plan on upgrading but not for another year or so and i dont wanna get one if itll outgrow it before then. i was also thinking about investing in 1 electric blue and letting him have the tank to himself - yes or no?

Absolutly, but you will definitly need a larger tank after a year. Not a bad wet-pet, I have one my self, but with quite a few more fish, being its a 125gal.

thanks - this really helped a lot. id rather not risk the fish being unhealthy or unhappy
really appreciated (:

no problem at all. Would like to see the setup, when you get it all done.

also try to stay clear of the bow front tanks..they dont like it any its harder to escape from a chasing.but nice choice on ciclids.

I really would not keep a single African in that size tank. The fish will be stressed as they need the company of other fish.

The major point being missed here is what is your tap water parameters in terms of GH(General Hardness). KH (Calcium Hardness). This will play a big part in what you will be able to keep in the tank without messing with the water chemistry.

The tank is fine for keeping fry but NO Africans should be kept in a tank under 32g and even 55g. They are extremely active fish and get stressed easily in small tanks.

are the south/central americans the same way?or would it be better in groups or would a pair of smaller s.a's be ok ? just trying to get a lot of opinions to go by the majority - ive had other fish before, but like i said, new to cichlids so any guidance is appreciated

Before we can offer suggestions we need to know the Water Hardness, it will make a big difference in what you can stock.

Africans and Central Americans need hard water, South Americans need soft water.