I keep SA cichlids and am about to get into geophagus fish. If you are planning on an upgrade within the next 9-12 months, I recommend getting some baby geos. I am about to order some geophagus "red head" tapajos babies from Jeff Rapps. Geos grow very slowly and species range in max size from 5" up to 14" (or around there). My red heads will start out around 2-3" and will take the next 9-10 months to reach their full potential of 8" for maxed out males and 5-6" for females. Many geos have absolutely gorgeous colorations. The vast majority of geos are very peaceful and can be kept with other peaceful fish that will not fit in their mouths (and they have big mouths), but like most cichlids, they do best in tanks where they are the kings. They are sand sifters, so a sandy bottom is a must. The only real downsize to these fish are that they require groups of at least 4 (many will say the least is 6) for you to see their true potential in both behavior and coloration. So these fish will take up most of the bioload space in a 55 when full grown and a tank upgrade would be highly recommended. More space means more sand sifting and it is so much fun watching these guys go to work.
I also keep keyhole cichlids and they have got to be the most peaceful fish in the cichlid world. Even during breeding, they are a very passive fish. They reach sizes of 5-6" max and require medium density planted tanks.
If you decide to go with convicts, be careful. A breeding pair will take up 30-40 gallons of your space and severely limit tankmates. I recommend if you want convicts, but don't want breeding pairs, get all females. They are easy to distinguish from males by the orange/red in their bellies. I personally think the added color to black and white stripes is nice. Females also give off less aggression and have reduced territory needs compared with male convicts, but are just as hardy. This way you can maximize stocking options.
Firemouths are a good CA tankmate for cons as long as they are bigger than the cons.
Unfortunately my CA knowledge is a bit lacking as I have never kept them and only know of the few staple species like cons and firemouths.
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