I like that idea, since I've been thinking that just having a few cichlids in a 55 gallon tank would be a bit boring. That's partly why I wanted to try and find more than one species that could co-exist. But being able to put some dither fish in would be nice, too. Thanks, Tom Dear Tom, African community tanks are wonderful, but if you want to breed fish I suggest just working with one species per tank. A 55 gallon tank is really not that large, and by the time you add gravel and rocks you probably only have 35 gallons of actual water.
African cichlids are very territorial and it is difficult to breed multiple species in one tank.
I think that if you really want to be successful you should concentrate on one species. Mouth brooders breed best in groups, with one male and as many females as you can find. I breed most of my fish with just one species per tank for this very reason. Single species tanks are great, there is nothing like a dominate male riding herd on his harem. That should be up to you since you are the one who is going to be looking at them.