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I was thinking of starting a cichlid community tank, what are some of the items (ex gravel, rocks) do I need. And is it hard to set up and keep up?

What size tank would this be? And are you interested in African or New World cichlids?

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

It would be a 20 gallon tank. I'm not sure on the kind, what is the difference between the two?

there are many differences between the 2

for the best help n most experience with new world n africans id check out www.cichlid-forum.com

20g tank i would look at Apistogramma , dwarf species such as Bolivian or Blue rams. a pair of kribs alone would do well, there are also Shellies which you can put more in a 20g compared to the previous. their antics make up for their lack of size hehe. if your lookign for info on these "Littlemousling" is prolly one of the most knowleged about the subject.

I'd look to your water parameters to choose a continent - is your water hard and alkaline, fairly neutral, or soft and acid? (If you don't have pH, GH, and KH tests, get the local fish store to check your numbers - they're very much worth knowing!)
For hard water, Tanganyikans are the best bet for a 20 - a shelldweller species (can't recommend them highly enough!) or a small rockdweller like the lovely Julidochromis species, say.
For neutral, a range of choices, but one of the most common and attractive is the ol' Krib, Pelvicachromis pulcher. Or, for something a bit more exotic, the variants of P. taeniatus have been popping up quite frequently in the hobby, lately.
For soft water, you have a number of South American options - from unmistakably stunning like Apistogramma agassizzi to subtle and serene like a Laetacara curviceps.

-Molly
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Caves and plenty of hiding places, my tank floor is covered in caves of differnt sizes. All goes well in my tank as long as my fire mouths stay away from the kribs breeding cave. I have in mine:
A breeding pair of krib
2 fire mouths (Never paired up)
and a Blue Acara, hes the largest in the tank and peaceful. The krib leave him alone cause of his size and hes just minds his own. Think of getting him a compaion not sure yet.

what if I had a larger tank like 55 gallon? A malawi hard to keep?

If you do PLENTY of research, and never buy on impulse, Malawis are pretty easy. IME, 98% of the problems people have with their mbuna tanks occur because, whether or not he or she had a plan, the owner bought some pretty fish on impulse, and later found out they were Auratus or something equally vicious. You can easily set up a GORGEOUS, minimally aggressive, very long-term, fry-producing Malawi community if you're smart enough to plan and stick to said plan.

Gentler species are usually the best for a 55, which is on the smaller side for Malawi - yellow labs, cobalt blues, aceis, etc.

-Molly
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