I'm thinking of doing a african tank and don't know where to start.

do ineed a canister filter, or will a big wet/dry sump?
can i need dried up base rock thats been sitting out in the texas heat.
what are some colorful africans, are rusties colorful.
I like yellow labs what could i put with yellow labs?

DO IT! On my aquarium rentals in offices, I use a Marineland H.O.T filter or one of their new C-series filters with an 6 - 12 inch air stone under the gravel. Of course any brand filter will work. I use the air stone for the look it gives the tank, but if something happens to the filter the bubbles will help keep the fish alive. I also have a few 150 gallon tanks with wet-dry filters on them with a C-360 (Marineland) filter. Those tank run great. The base rock will work just fine too. (just cool it off. lol) I have tanks with reef sand in them. I also add crushed coral or reef sand to the gravel to help buffer the PH. I service the rental tanks every two weeks, so I only see them 2 day out of 30 with no problems.
Rusties are a goldy brown color with a slite purple tint to it when they get larger.
Most Mbunas are colorful. Some of them are solid in color or they have stripes or blotches. Yellow labs will go with the Rusties. The male Peacocks and Haps have the most color. Good luck and go for it!

how much holey rock will i need, and peacocks and haps can go together.

dont think just do :D

Joey you can use as much holey rock as you want. Its reall more of a personal preference. Use a couple of big canisters and a large air pump with a couple of airstones attached. I have over 30 tropheus/petrochromis in my 120 and they are all fine with this setup. Just stick to the weekly 50% water changes and all will be good.

Use the wet dry and put crushed coral in the sump. This will help with buffering the water. There are many ways to get the water the way you need it if that is your concern. Africans are pretty easy to keep. I have seen many diffrent african tanks and it really depends on what you are looking for. A lot of factors come into play like colors, male to female ratios, and so on.

I've always used wet/dry filters on my African tanks. A good idea is to also use a canister on one, to aid in polishing the water. So, wet/dry for good biological filtration, canister for good mechanical/water polishing filtration.

Your cube tank doesn't sound very enticing to Africans, they like to have room to spread out and run. The 75 might actually be better. Africans don't spend too much time in the mid and upper sections of the tank, they tend to spend there time near the rocks and driftwood. Build lots of little caves and hiding spots, by stacking and staggering rocks.

The thing to really consider, even though they are small and cute in the stores, the average adult size of an African can be 5" and bigger. Aggression can also be multiplied during breeding time, I had some Melanochromis Johanni that were fairly docile, until breeding time. The male would actually kill other fish during this time.

Electric Yellows are still aggressive, just not as aggressive as alot of the mbuna. They can stand up for themselves, and usually don't just go on a full tank assault, this makes them good tank mates for practically anything African. Pick your yellows wisely, there are so many strains out there that are 'watered down' and overly inbred. Baby yellows should be VERY bright, and any males in the tank should have a jet black stripe on it's fin, look for a lack of stripes on the body, and no white belly. This should insure that your adult yellows will also look their best.

For colorful Africans.... You can't beat most Haps, Peacocks and Victorians. I'd say that Peacocks and Vics can even rival saltwater fish in their coloration. Just try to find these from a local breeder, so that you can see what the parents look like, and you can avoid possible hybrids from the petstores.

I personally stay away from mbuna, but that's me.

post photos....... what are the ones that are yellow with blue spots...