Dwarf Cichlid Recommendations?

Hey everyone. I have a 29 gallon aquarium, and I was thinking about dwarf cichlids as my stocking option. I'm not necessarily new to fishkeeping, however ive never kept cichlids of any kind, and I was wondering what dwarf cichlids you’d recommend for a beginner cichlid keeper.
I'm on well water and it comes out at about 7.8 ph out of the faucet. I really like bolivian rams, and german blue rams. as well as appistogramma, and a few others. I'm open to all recommendations! id love to hear of your experiences with dwarf cichlids as well!

 

Check out African dwarf cichlids. Shell dwellers like simils or multis or other dwarf cichlids from lake Tanganyika could make a fantastic setup. I have a 29gal with a colony of multis, an albino BN pleco and a small school of 6 fire line danios. It's planted with jungle val, has a few pieces of wood and rock and about 2-3in of sand that is constantly being moved around by the cichlids.

 

Kribensis are a good option for a newcomer to cichlids. Lots of colour and will breed readily if you get a pair.

 

krybenesses and rams

 

Bolivian rams are a great option. My favourite fish. Very personable, peaceful and can colour up great if you get the right ones. A 29 gallon would do great by a pair of them. Apistogramma are also a great option. Either way you can't go wrong with these.

 

Curviceps are a really cool dwarf cichlid.

 

Curviceps are a really cool dwarf cichlid.

And similar to them the Nannacara Anomala. Dwarf golden Cichlid

 

you could do rams and apistos. There are lots of different colors for both. just make sure you have enough hardscaping so that the fish don’t constantly see each other. this can help prevent aggression. Also, with apistos and GBRs, they can be kept with some smaller fish. for apistos, I would do 2 or 3 for a 20 gallon and 1 more per 10 gallons. For GBRs, 1 pair for a 20 gallon and 1 more pair per extra 10 gallon.