Years ago we owned a small pet store. During that experience I learned African cichlids offer the best balance of color/activity/survivability. Just do your homework and make sure the types you're getting are compatible. There are local clubs you can join and they even have swap meets and auctions. You can get MUCH healthier fish at these events than you can from any store, just because of all the travelling the fish go through prior to arriving at the retail location.
With my Africans I have a great filter and change 1/3 of the water every 10 days or so. I never check PH or anything else. The only fish I've killed were from a big heater stuck on. I now put two small heaters in my tanks so I'll have a little more time if one sticks on. My fish usually die from old age
