CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

I have a picture here of a cichlid which looks exactly like mine, its the one in the upper left corner (the smaller one with stripes).
Also, would cichlids prefer sand or gravel?

Here's the link to the photograph:
http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquarium/mbuna_labido.html

You have an auratus (melanochromis auratus), a fish with great potential for great aggression. Males will tranform in color. What else is in your tank and what size tank?

My african cichlids love digging and sifting in the sand.

ive got 8 of those, 2 convicts and 2 other ciclihs with the same body type as a convict but has black spots on their sides with little green metallic specs. i have a 40 gallon, and how would i manage sand, is there any special filtration devices or any special cleaners for it?

You have to rinse sand thoroughly before adding it into the tank. It may be somewhat challenging adding sand to an established tank which already has a substrate.

Sand doesn't require any special cleansers or filtration, with the exception that if the intakes are very low they may take in water borne sand particles which could potentially damage the filter of a hang on back filter. I've had no problems with sand and prefer it to gravel.

There's potential that once your auratus sexually mature, the 40-gal mightprove to be small for this highly aggressive species.

You definately have too small a tank for 8 auratus' and mixing them with south american cichlids is not a good idea. My suggestion is to get another tank for your Africans and give back at least four of them and mix them with other africans like psuedotropheus or labiatrophs or labidochromis. If you don't move them out of the tank with your convicts and other SA's as well as get rid of at least half of the auratus' you won't have many fish left in the end. Melanachromis Auratus is the most aggressive African that I've ever owned.