pearsei

I have a reverse quad of Pearsei I got from aquamania last year. They came from Cichlids of the Americas. Males are about 4". Free to any CCA member attending Aquamania. You have to have a tank big enough to house him though (180g+). I can't promise I'll catch him (in a 180g with 60 other fish)...

First of all, what's the deal with the genus ex-cichlasoma? Were the fish removed from the genus, but not attributed to something else? Some places list these as herichthys, but the genus reclassification is so muddled I don't know what to believe (because unlike popular opinion, not everything...

I was thinking of ordering about 6-7 1" Vieja and was wondering if I could possibly keep them with a 4-6" Pearsei? Everything I've read is that they are gentile leaf eaters so would they not pick on the smaller fish?