It may be that the Cichlid have a way of making many aquarium owners shy of them, sort of the way Orchids seem to intimidate houseplant gardeners. Both look too good to be true and so they must be difficult to care for.
BTW, Gutty, your friends are pretty nice looking! Do you know what species these are? There's a nice site you can share your pics with other Cichlid hobbyist, if you’re interested:
http://www.cybercichlids.com/
My first and most favorite Cichlid was a male Peacock, maybe because blue is my favorite color (?)
