West African dwarf cichlid setup

Due to powers beyond my control I've been coasting in the hobby for the last 18 months or so, housekeeping my tanks rather than feeling passionate about fishkeeping. However, now I'm making some changes.
My mudskippers are changing to new digs; a bare bottom tank with alot more branches and rocks to climb on (and there's already alot in their current tank!).
The panda cories are going to be leaving their 70L tank for the Trigon190. I plan on introducing alot more pandas too, the end goal being an impressive shoal in a species tank.
That will leave me with two empty tanks. The main one is the Vision180. As I indicated earlier, I need to feel more involved with the hobby again and with that in mind I want to have a bit of a challenge.
I think the tank would be a good size for a dwarf cichlid setup. Apistos aren't really my thing, so I was considering West African cichlids. There are two I've been considering.
First is Pelvicachromis suboccelatus 'Matadi'. I've kept them briefly before but I ended up having to move them along because of an issue with another tank. The females in particular are one of the most stunning fish I've ever seen. They're easy to breed and aren't as homicidally inclined as some cichlids.
The other choice is Nanochromis transvestitus. Similarly, the females are the stunners. However, the other traits are reversed. They're sociopaths that don't breed easily!
Both would need similar requirements; soft, acidic water, plenty of hiding places, probably quite a bit of leaf litter.
So what does everyone think? Has anyone kept either or both? Any advice?

sound good ,one has to keep motivated in this hobby and what better motivation than setting up a new project .just go for it

Ive kept Nudiceps, , Transvestitus and Parilus....They all suffered the same fate...Lasted a while, developed breathing problems and eventually died....That was in a PH of 7...(50% weekly water changes, NitrAtes 10ppm average....I keep on top of my maintenance) I just couldnt keep them alive for too long...

It was actually similar to what you used to see a few years back with German Blue Rams....Gradual deterioration.....

And I bought them all from a reputable dealer....(Not gonna mention names)

Difficult to keep IMO and pretty expensive to buy!

But thats just my experience....Dont quote me!

www.seriouslyfish.com/species/search/Nanochromis

Just saw your edit John. Still have it. I read stuff like that just for fun !
I know transvestitus are tough to breed. That's why I don't want to start a fool's errand trying to breed something that's just going to be near impossible and/or take resources beyond my time/finances to achieve.

I'm also toying with the idea of a few blockhead cichlids.

Blockheads are awesome fish Johnny...I have a single (female i think) Slender Blockhead and its the one fish everyone comments on when they look at my tank...

They behave like gobies...Move around the tank in jerking motions...And will spend time just sitting on plant leafs and rocks etc just lookin out at ya...Can be a little shy at times and ive noticed my guy/girl gets a bit grumpy at feeding time.....

All in all an amazing fish with awesome personality and behaviours....

I dont know how a group would get on though...I never keep any kind of Cichlids in male female pairs because of the chaos that can ensue if they decide to breed...Catching an aggressive Cichlid in a well decorated and planted tank is quite the task LOL

And that's just one of the reasons I've given up planted tanks

I've like to start off with a small group (of whichever fish I decide on) and see if I can get a breeding pair from them. Blockheads sound good from what you've said because the tank is right beside the desk. It's where I had my mudskippers originally; they sit there staring at me too