just for talk now i dont have an african cichlid tank no more but a 135 gallon south/central american tank with angelfish and firemouths all are very colorful. but alot of people will give the color of glory to african cichlids. no doubt they are colorful but s/c american cichlids have got some super beautiful colors if not even more colorful than africans cichlids i think b/c you can bunch africans cichlids up with different colors they give a colorful display. but on one on one basis from what i can see s/c american cichlids are just as colorful if not more.what does everyone else think? shouldn't these fish get just as much respect for there beauty as well?

I agree with you. I have an african cichlid tank, but angelfish, discus and Bolivian rams are still some of my all time favorites. For that matter, i think some of my rainbow fish easily rival the beauty of an african cichlid. That isn't to say that i don't get why african cichlids have such passionate admirers. I guess i just see beauty in many different types of fish and it's hard for me to rank one above the other.