new fish suggestions?

I am in the process of cycling my 55 gallon freshwater tank and am
looking into what types of fish to get. I am new to this whole thing
but my boyfriend has had tanks before. He has always liked cichlids
because they tend to be hearty (i.e. generally easy to keep alive),
colorful and social. These are certainly the traits I am looking for
but I know cichlids are prone to fight and be very territorial. I am
looking for suggestions on what types of cichlids mix well with each
other and other types of fish. And also what other types you might
recommend. I also know that I would like a catfish of some sort so any
catfish suggestions would be wonderful as well. I would like a
variation and just need some expert opinions on who gets along with who
THANKS!