Its a matter of space and aggression for cichlids. Even if you get a few more spmaller dwarf species of cichlids, aggression issues will still be present as every one of the fish will need its own territory and normally getting pairs would help in most species, but for cichlids, most species still need the same space for a pair as two fish would normally need if not alot more....
So basic fact, if you want NW cichlids, then just face facts that your tank can't be overpacked as that size and aggression of the fish won't allow it. You can do things like have the JD with a group of dither fish and a pleco like I do. At full size, my JD, my giant danios, and my pleco wil def make the tank feel full so you just have to research a little and find some good combos. If you don't want the JD and like rams, you can bring all your fish back, get a pair of rams, and then with rams, you can pretty much put any other community fish in with them that fits in a 55G. Thats why many people go with rams because of the wide range of tank mate possibilities.