Good Idea
Could some African plants work in this setup, and if so what.anything that isnt to aggressive and fits in the tank is an option. Rope fish are so lovely.
i would go african theme you might like some of these:
-butterfly fish (1, more might kill eachother)
-african knifefish (nigri)
-ctenopoma
-congo tetra's
-smaller bichir species (same order as ropeeels)
-tire track eels
-eel catfish (some species get massive, do watch out)