Some Advice Restocking After Disaster

[tenohfive]

It's been a few years since I've been on these forums and my knowledge is rusty so I was hoping for a bit of help. I've got a 370L front room display tank that until not long ago I had setup as a new world tank which was running brilliantly (after a fair bit of aggression dispersal/rescaping/restocking.) About a year ago I knocked a plug socket loose leaving the tank without heat or filtration for a few days and managed to kill all bar one of the occupants. The sole survivor was a Rainbow cichlid/Herotilapia multispinosa. Since then I've just left him be as the only occupant of the tank but I'm thinking about adding some more fish now.
 
My preferred option is to add maybe 3 peaceful cichlids - I don't want to repeat the battles I had find a stable setup last time - and some hatchets and other dithers, plus maybe a plec.
Can anyone offer some advice of three suitable candidates?
 
So far I'm considering something like a Sev as a starting point and Wildwoods are showing stock of some Cichlasoma rostratum which look interesting, and limited information suggests they're fairly peaceful. Can anyone offer any other suggestions for colourful but peaceful new worlds that'd probably work well?

 

[bricko]

Rotkeil Sev and Blue Acara are pretty peaceful. I keep them in a 400l with 9 Denisoni Barb, 6 Zebra Loach, 3 SAE and 4 Bristlenose. They have to be quick at feeding times as the barbs are very hungry! %This is also a heavily planted setup so helps disperse any line of sight / territorial issues and so far so good.

 

[tenohfive]

A Rotty would definitely be an option, but having had a wild one in the past (something I can't afford to repeat) I might look at either a green or gold Sev instead.
I made a bit of an impulse buy today - a 3" or so Cichlasoma rostratum. Can't really say how he's getting on (it's too dark in my tank with the lights on) but fingers crossed.

 

[Wills]

I've never heard of the Rostratum and a quick search brings very little up - it might be that they have been reclassified and the store is using an old out of date scientific name... If its what I think it is its actually an Amphilophus rostratus - should be a nice addition but.... they are sand sifters so make sure you have a sand substrate!
 
Given this I would take the tank in a Central American route, gives a few options for other tank mates maybe a Cutteri or Nanoleutus would be nice (Wholesale should be able to get hold of them)
 
Add in things like Green Swordtails and Red Eye Tetras to kee the tank biotope esc
 
Wills

 

[tenohfive]

They had it under both names, I just picked the first one to post. He/she seems to be settling in, some mild bullying from the Rainbow but nothing overly aggressive or out of the ordinary by cichlid standards.

A Cutteri seems like a good addition - do you think I'd get away with one other or would that be pushing it?
 
And dithers next up, I'll have to have a look through the options. I've already decided not to go complete biotope as I want some hatchets in there, the tank has a lot of height and from the sofa I think they'll catch the light well - and I've kept them before and loved how active they were, one of the most interesting top dwellers I've kept. If there's any suggestions for any larger dithers that'll be more noticeable from across the room I'm all ears.

 

[DrRob]

Congos are good top halfers if you're not going biotope and want something with some size to it.
 
I'd also second the swordtails though, the wild colour type (often called the green swordtail) is beautiful.

 

[tenohfive]

I've never been a fan of them before but I tend to breeze past the livebearer displays in most fish shops I go to. I'll have another look next time.

Right now it's between Swordtails, Congos (if I throw the 'new world' idea out - which I'm happy to for the right looking setup), or blue/purple emperors. The swordtail option does appeal on one level as the fry should provide free live food of a sort to the bigger cichlids.
 
It sounds like a plan is shaping up, I just need to make some decisions. On the dither front that's probably best made 'in shop' when I can see for myself.