I have a cichlid question!?

Question

i have a 23 gallon. how can i tell if they are female or male? and which ones would go good with other. these are the ones i like. and how many males should i get and which breed?

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/caeruleu.htm

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/mel_auratus.htm

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/estherae.htm ( i know the difference but would they go in my fish tank?)

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/m_lombardoi.htm

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/ps_acei.htm ( i'm guessing the darker one is male?)

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/m_crabro.htm

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/socolofi.htm

thank you... this is the last time i will ask this question!!

Answer 1

You're looking at fish with 3 different levels of aggressiveness.  The lemon yellows and socolofi are less aggressive than the others and can be kept together. 1 male to 2 femals.  In a 23 gallon tank with plenty of suitable caves and good filtration you could keep 6-8 of these and they would do great.  Africans are a fish it's best to keep several of to spread out the pecking order, and can be "crowded" into a tank normally thought to be too small for many types of cichlids.

You can keep the more aggressive species together, or the medium aggressive, or the less aggressive.  Mixing them will usually result in death for the less aggressive.