50g Bowfront tank, i cant wait to stock it!!

[ATVaquatics]

So ive decided im getting at 50g bowfront and i always told myself if i ever get a bigger tank than 10g im gonna stock it with cichlids and live plants!!

Im really hyped up but i wanted an array of different cichlids but i want to do this right, i dont want territorial problems so much as they stress out the fish and cause problems, i want all the types of fish to be the same level of aggression, have good colors and real beautiful looking.

I was wondering what cichlids i should stock? i want atleast 3-4 of each. I was thinking some boviliam rams, keyhole, maybe some electric blue, i dont want convict as i have had bad experience with them before, firemouths, etc my lps has tons so these are only some i can remember any ideas of neat small-medium colorful cichlids

[onebettarepublic]

I have a 46 gal bowfront, but i stocked all african cichlids.  There are bumblebees, blue johannis, a red zebra, a red top zebra, and a blue cobalt zebra,
I kept kribs before and they were beautiful too.

[straitjacketstar]

What is the footprint of this tank?
If you're looking for a super peaceful set-up you're not going to get it with more than a couple of species of cichlids. Singles maybe, but you have to watch for territories when they begin to sexually mature.
I currently have blue rams, bolivian rams, golden dwarf cichlids, checkerboard cichlids, one Laetacara curviceps and one blind African butterfly cichlid in my 60 gallon tank getting along quite well. The most aggressive being the golden dwarfs and mostly towards one another. I have many pieces of wood and plants in there to give each their own territories and break up lines of sight but I also have the advantage of having many other small fish (gobies, bettas, guppies, rasboras) as dithers and a 48" x 18" footprint.
I wouldn't look into anything that gets bigger than about 4" and this will restrict you to dwarf species. Apistogramma, Mikrogeophagus sp., small Laetacara sp. (curviceps or dorsigera) and other small dwarfs.
If you wanted to try your hand at a Central American species you could try something in the convict family but not necessarily a convict. Cryptoheros nanoluteus is an amazingly beautiful little cousin of the convict that stays smaller and is far less aggressive compared to the convict and you could try keeping a pair with perhaps a pair of Archocentrus (formerly Herotilapia) multispinosa who also has a beautiful orange variant if you can find them. Good dithers for them would be swordtails and platies. You'd want a set up of a nice rounded rockpile on either sides of the tank, a finer substrate such as fine gravel or sand with some wood and sparse plantings of guppy grass, hornwort or anacharis to break up the line of sight between the pairs.
All cichlids show some degree of aggression and territorial behavior so it should not be a surprise if you have a trouble maker. Always have a back-up plan if something doesn't work out. A divider and/or extra tank is always handy.