are there any small species of african cichlid available in the pet trade?
 

are there any species of african cichilds commonly available that do not exceed 6 inches? what species are the electric blue and yellow cichlids sold at pet stores? they seem to fit the bill but without any identification i have no info on how big they get...

Most Malawi cichlids don't get larger than 4-6 in. Check out this website, it has alot of great information on common species you will see in the pet stores.

Aquariumlife.net Fish Profiles Database

Do you have a tank currently setup? If so, how large and what other fish do you have it stocked with?

electric blue is Sciaenochromis fryeri and usually grows to around the 7 inch mark
electric yellow is Labidochromis caeruleus and usually grows to around the 5 inch mark

if you want small africans go for some shell dwellers from lake tanganyika