My Tank Is Screaming For A Cichlid! Any Suggestions?

[TooManyChoices]

I've set up a west African themed tank that currently houses 1 African butterfly fish and 8 yellow tail Congo tetras. So there's a definite top dweller, and definite mid dwellers but nothing down the bottom! So I've decided to get a solo cichlid to buzz around the bottom. 
 
As the tank is African river themed my options seem to be:
 
- Kribensis (kept before, lovely fish and easy to get)
 
- Pelvicachromis taeniatus (prefer normal kribs, and they're harder to come by)
 
- African butterfly cichlid (probably leaning towards one of these as I haven't kept them before and they seem pretty peaceful)
 
- Jewel cichlid (I would love a jewel but am a bit worried about aggression, if there's no other cichlids how aggressive do you think they'll become)
 
- lionhead cichlid (probably not ideal as the flow is pretty low)
 
What other options are there and what is your opinion on my suggestions?
 
This is the tank by the way:

 
3ft, probably about 100 litres of water (water level is lowered to prevent the butterfly from jumping), it's filter with a fluval 105 head pump part on a 205 which is packed FULL of bio media (the 205 head started leaking 

 

 

 

 

 hence the reduced flow, but over plenty of media).

 

[BerryAttack]

 I don't suggest adding any african cichlid to a tropical tank other than strictly other african cichlids.
 
you can get rams,  very nice and even though i think it's in the cichlid family it is a community fish and isn't aggressive. not sure if it is african though..but you can have the look, without the aggression 
 
i've had butterfly fish in the past, very fun.. you can raise the water to the top and just cover the openings so that if the little bugger wants to catch some air he wont jump out of the tank... during feeding they can nip because they are piggies and will want to eat all the food.. and you can hand feed them which is, besides that very peaceful.
 
oh and by looking at the filer hoses... the intake should be on the other side of the tank, not vertical from the filter, the flow should increase... and for the filter, if the letters aren't lined up on it (were you clip the motor to the filter holder)  then it will leak.. that could be the reason.. or hole in tub.... just play with it and it should be fixed. but if they don't fit together because they are different sizes then ... i dono

 

[r.w.girard]

Rams [Bolivian and German] are south american and therefor wouldn't work.  But the tank looks lovely! Jewels are lovely.  But so are Kribensis... Don't want a pair of the latter?

 

[TooManyChoices]

Thanks for the response.
 

I don't suggest adding any african cichlid to a tropical tank other than strictly other african cichlids.

 
What makes you say this? Riverine cichlids do fine in suitable community tanks. Have a read of this and it might change your mind, the idea behind is practically the same is mine http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=5358.
 

you can get rams,  very nice and even though i think it's in the cichlid family it is a community fish and isn't aggressive. not sure if it is african though..but you can have the look, without the aggression 

Kept rams before, and they're south american. 
 

i've had butterfly fish in the past, very fun.. you can raise the water to the top and just cover the openings so that if the little #28### wants to catch some air he wont jump out of the tank... during feeding they can nip because they are piggies and will want to eat all the food.. and you can hand feed them which is, besides that very peaceful.

 Mine's not at all an aggressive feeder, sits in one part of the tank all day just waiting for me to feed it. And even at feeding time is very easily startled.
 

oh and by looking at the filer hoses... the intake should be on the other side of the tank, not vertical from the filter, the flow should increase... and for the filter, if the letters aren't lined up on it (were you clip the motor to the filter holder)  then it will leak.. that could be the reason.. or hole in tub.... just play with it and it should be fixed. but if they don't fit together because they are different sizes then ... i dono

The flow is low just because of the low turnover on the filter head, not because of intake placement, and I'm not sure why the 205 head leaks, it was all connected up correctly but after a couple of months in storage it just started leaking. 
 

But the tank looks lovely! Jewels are lovely.  But so are Kribensis... Don't want a pair of the latter?

Yeah I've kept and bred Kribensis, and definately don't want to go down the cichlid breeding road again

 
I'm really keen on jewels but I fear they'll be a bit to agro, however they're kept together in that link I just posted so maybe it's worth a try. 

 

[TooManyChoices]

I could even get Egyptian mouth brooders if I wanted.

 

[bullit]

Nice tank. What are the tall plants? Cheers

 

[DrRob]

Ohhh, now I've read up about Egyptian mouth brooders before and was tempted but couldn't find any.
 
Jewels are insane, I always view them as species only and am rarely shown convincing proof otherwise.

 

[r.w.girard]

+1 on the Egyptian mouthbrooder.  Fantastic idea.

 

[TooManyChoices]

I think I should go for a mouth brooder! In the 3 or 4 years I've had aquariums I've never seen them in shops before so I think they're pretty hard to come these days. Shame I'm not set up for breeding as they'd be a great project. 
 
And the tall plants are Banana lily's.

 

[KevM]

Another recommendation for Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi from me. I think it's a shame to keep any cichlid solo, though. A jewel will likely be fine on its own; just so you know. The vast majority are only loopy once they've paired up, in my experience.

 

[TooManyChoices]

I get what you mean about keeping them without the company of other cichlids but I just really can't be bothered with breeding!

 

[TooManyChoices]

Nah I think it's going to be a jewel!