Guess what?!
It's the only way we can surely match your cichlid..... By the way, in the second link, the big blue one was a male, and the silvery-brown one in the corner is a female. I have what is the "true" Ahli (i guess that's what you call it....) which is similar to Fryeri, but has faint bars, and reddish mixed with the blue in the pectoral and anal fins. mine is also what is known as the "Ice" variant that has more white in the dorsal which stretches to the mouth.
As for what he can be kept with, make sure he is the dominant fish in the tank, because if he isn't he'll most likely stay out of sight, very shy. do not keep him with larger or equal size Venustus, Kenyi, and other highly aggresive cichlids. More peaceful Mbuna like demasoni and Labidochromis are excellent candidates as tankmates, along with other Haplichromis. Try to get three females to go with your male, so he'll display his best colors.... you can get females on the internet or a fish farm in your area, if your down south.
Pea gravel is just fine for african cichlids, but make sure it is smooth, because they like to move gravel around. My cichlids don't do it much, but when they do, it is under a pile of rocks or just to make a passage way bigger. Pea gravel is also easier to clean, because you can vacuum it, which you cant do with sand. for ease of keeping for the long run, i went with the pea gravel. To maintain the ph and other elements, use Seachem Malawi/victoria Buffer and Seachem rift lake salt. My gravel is the darker natural gravel (about 3/4) and the regular color natural gravel (1/4). check out my Photo gallery<---, and search by amount of views. this tank is the 120 gal. African cichlid Community. Good luck with your fish!
Remember: