CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

My best friend bought some cichlids tonight right as the store was closing. She has never had any before, and didn't relize that they had to have a filter. Her beta dosen't. She won't be able to get a filter untill tomorrow. Will they be ok, and should she leave them in the bag from the pet store?

Welcome to the forum! Your question raises a few others. What kind of cichlid? How big? Does your friend have a tank to put it in? How big is the tank, and how long has there been water in it? All things being equal, her fish should be better off in the aquarium, filter or no, than in the bag from the pet shop. Here's a link to a thread in our FAQ's that might give you some background on setting up and "cycling" a new tank:
http://www.cichlidfish.com/portal/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16962