Your tank is beautiful and I can understand your interest in Cichlids. I too would not recommend putting them in a tank with plants or other species of fish.
I've had experience with two varities and I loved them. My first Cichlid was a severely tail bitten Jack Dempsey. The pet store had isolated him from other fish because he'd been picked on so badly and customers didn't want him because he had no tail. In my eyes he was still beautiful so I bought him and named him "Buttless". I raised him in a solitary environment and he interacted with my family by swimming close to the glass and following our movements. He also took food from our hands. When was about 5" long when he suddenly developed buoyancy problems and died.
I really don't know why this happened but it may have had something to do with his increased size and lack of a tail.
My other Cichlids were a pair of Red Tiger Oscars. They were real pets too and exhibited the same types of human interaction. I lost each of them
on separate occassions when they lept out of the tank after my children forgot to close the lid. They were about 7" long when they died.
I'm not familiar with all varieties of Cichlids, but the Jack Dempsey and Red Tiger Oscars were great pets and I highly recommend them. You've gone to a lot of trouble to decorate your tank with plants and stock it with other fish (Cichlid food) but if you really want Cichlids then go for it. Maybe the pet store would exchange your fish and plants for a Cichlid.
