A lot of the stocking is going to depend on how you're scaping the tank, how many gallons is it total and also how much of that is going to be open swimming area! Cichlids for the most part are very easy and hardy fish to keep, synodontis petricola are really neat little catfish and only get 4-4.5" long, get along with most medium/smaller cichlids. African peacocks are not as tall bodied cichlids and come in dozens of beautiful colors, so for someone used to salt water and with a shallow tank, a small school of them might look nice. Or Rams (electric blue look really nice but in my experience are way more fragile) because they don't get as big and work great in community tanks! Just remember that with peacock (or zig zag only get ~6") eels or the cats, include at least one hiding spot for each of them. Provided the light isn't overbearing, the peacocks especially become very friendly and will be all over the tank!
