Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've got a 3-4" Blue Johannii/Blue Mbuna in a 20gal tank with a pleco and some rocks - it's been about 1.5yrs now, but the tank's gotten a bit dull. I'm thinking of upgrading to a 55gal tank and doing something more interesting with my little guy. I'd like to add some plants and a few other fish that'll get along with him.

I'm looking for some recommendations on fish that'll work well with my Blue Johannii - maybe some females too. I've heard they can be pretty aggressive, so I'm wondering if I'll need to add females of similar size or if plenty of hiding spots will do the trick.

I'm relatively new to Cichlid tanks, but I've kept solo Cichlids before. I usually go for the less aggressive ones, so this is a bit of a new experience for me.

I'm pretty sure I recall hearing that the general rule of thumb is to keep them around the same size to avoid one fish intimidating the smaller one and keeping the food from the smaller fish. I could be wrong though, so don't quote me on this. I've had some success putting smaller fish with larger fish, but I always put the small fish in first. That way they can explore the tank, learn the layout, find hiding places, and stake a territory by the time I introduce the larger fish. It seems to have worked out well for me, and I haven't had any issues with my larger fish picking on the smaller ones.

Appreciate the advice, thanks.