I have three species of Cryptoheros: panamensis, nanoleutus and sajica. They are not dwarf but convict size cichlid that can reach 5-6 inch in male. They form strong bond and is fascinating to watch them pair up to defend against much bigger fish.
I have this aging pair of panamensis bonded for 5+ years since fry and probably forever till one dies.
A young pair of my nanoleutus were guarding fry and showed no fear of pounding much larger tankmates.
The benefit of keeping small CA/SA is that you don't need huge tanks to keep bonded pairs and watch their interesting behavior. My tanks are only 75 to 125 gal.