cichlids- general question

Question
Hello
In February I set up a 45 gallon aquarium with sand bottom.  Since then I have  6 small african chiclids who are now about 2 " in length each.  (I bought fish that arent supposed to get bigger than 4-5 inches)   I put in a crawfish who does a wonderful job cleaning the bottom, and 2 plackos (not sure of the spelling) that keep algae to a miniumum.  Everybody seem healthy and happy- The last 2 cichlids I put in had their fins nipped at first- but are healing well and all get along  now.  My question is How many more fish can or should I add?  Is there any other schoolin fish I can add with these aggressive guys?  How likely is it that any of the chiclids will mate?  I really enjoy the cichlids- they are so gorgeous and have their own personalitites.I guess I am just looking for ideas at this point and a little guidance on the numbers of fish.

Answer
Dear Susan,
Firstly allow me to apologize for getting to you so late. Things have been very busy here!!

I'm glad to hear all your little cichlids are very healthy and happy from what you mentioned. Actually, most aquarists recommend OVERCROWDING african cichlids in order to make it impossible for any fish to establish a territory and become severely aggressive. This isn't quite the same for fish from Lake Tanganyika who really cannot be crowded because of their different breeding strategies.

I think if it were permissible leading to the type of fish you currently keep (whether they are Lake Malawi or Tanganyikan cichlids) I would add more africans as long as their temperament matches that of your current species.
There is one catfish group called "synodontis" that make very suitable tankmates for african cichlids. One these species within the group is the upside-down catfish--named so because of it's upside-down swimming behavior. These unique little catfish enjoy being in groups. Of course there are other synodontis catfish species you may want to consider also. Just be sure to do research whatever you decide on. ;-)

Because of African cichlids territorial and aggressive tendancies, there is not much you can keep with them unfortunately--besides others of their own kind or hardy catfish and bottom dweller species. However, I feel an aquarium just with the african cichlids swimming about is just as beautiful and dazzling of display as one with many species.

I really hope this helps!
Best wishes and happy fishkeeping!
Karen~