Cichlids are very agressive fish (yes, even worse than pirhanas!) They are this way because they take care of their young. If you have a tank for cichlids, the biggest fish will establish its dominance over the others. It will make itself its own territory, which is usually the entire tank. You should get 1 clearly dominant fish for your tank.
Most fish don't go very good with cichlids cuz they can't keep up with them. They'd get "chomped" unless you get a shoal (school) of fish for protection. I will talk more of this in my species page.
Cichlids are smarter,faster, and more of everything than most fish. They establish their own social status in a tank (based on size). If you get one at a store, they are one fish that are EXTREMELY hard to catch in comparison with any other fish.
These fish are found in Africa, Central & South America,few in asia, and even in Texas. There are thousands of species world wide, and they come in a wide variety of shapes and colors.
