I agree with the other notes of caution above.
The idea is often carried over from the African cichlid camp, that because a large population of males can work if crowded, this will also work for Centrals.
But these Africans are often Mbuna or peacocks that max out in the 6-8" range (if that).
But try to do this with some of the large Africans, in the 12-14" range like Tyranochromis, or Loboochilotes, and a 180 might only handle a pair.
I had a 12-14" pair of Fossorochromis rostratus that would allow no other Africans (or any other cichlid for that matter) in a 150 gal tank, (same floor plan as a 180 only a few inches shorter). They started as a group of 8, and after the male killed off all other Africans in that tank, he also killed all other Fossochromis except 1, the female he spawned with
And those Africans that it works for, live naturally in quite social communities, unlike Central Americans where large males will stake out a large territory, and wait, sometimes for long periods, for ripe females to pass, attacking any other males, females in the vicinity or not.
Central Americans are territorially quite different, so the lack of females is often not a determining factor.
If you were to do the tank with more social Centrals, like Thorichthys, Cribroheros, or Amatitlania, your chances might be good.
But large solitary species may be pressing your luck, the females of these often travel in social groups, but not mature males, I've watched mature JDs defend large territories of 250 gallons square or more from any approaching males, while females traveled in loose shoals.
And get don't me on the kind of water changes you'd need to with a large cichlid population, in a 180.
I'm staring at my 180 at the moment, thinking about how small it is, in reality.
It appears quite small with its population of a dozen Andinoacara's, largest not more than 5"..
