What be a better aquarium set up?

I would go with the pair of Rams, not Bolivian (personal preference) and a group of 7 smaller tetras. Have some caves and hiding places along the bottom and it will be a beautiful aquarium. If your water is overly hard you may have some trouble with the regular rams (microgeophagus). At that point consider the bolivian (altaspinosa) or a different dwarf cichlid.