So, I'm planning out what I want to put in my 36g tank when it's cycled. I was thinking:

3 Honey Gourami (1 male and 2 females) (just for looks)
6-8 Harlequin Rasboras (just for looks)
(Possibly 6-8 Lemon Tetras - maybe not....) (just for looks)
4-6 Cory Cats (to eat the left over food and stir up the gravel)
2-3 Tire Track Nerite snails (to eat the algae)

I think all of those fish get along don't they?

I really wanted 6-8 Long finned Serpae Tetras instead of the Lemons, but every site I've read about them said they can be nasty fin nippers. (Anyone had experience with them?) They are soooo pretty, but I don't want them to hurt anyone in the tank.

The Harlequins won't hurt anyone either?

(Tank will have Eleoda, Hornwort, Giant Hygro, Dwarf Hygro, water lettuce, crypts or corkscrew vals.... so there will be plenty of plants for them to hide in. Also getting some fallen log/root type decorations for a lake bottom effect - that will give plenty of hiding space.)

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Yeah the serpae tetra definitely wont mix with them and will pester your gourami for sure.

I personally would say choose peppered cories (i have them)

The harlequin rasporas are extremely peaceful and have a temperament like the average tetra(neon size and behaviour wise) They do look very nice in a school 6-8. I had them a couple years back and they had great personalities

Ive not had honey gourami so couldnt say whether they would go well or not :(.

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Thanks! (Love the serpaes but won't get 'em.)

I heard corys need high oxygen levels. I've got an aqueon30 on the tank (for tanks up to 45g - 200 gph turn over) plus a tetra whisper filter running (for tanks 5-10g) just for the Nitrazorb. Is that enough oxygenation or do I need to put an air stone it?

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Yeah the serpae do look nice

My cories were fine with just the normal filter aeration, with the added live plants they seem to love it. (but i have since added an air curtain but have seen no difference to their behaviour with or without it). They do like well filtered water so as long as you have a good filter and even the plants they will do great

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Alrighty. Good to know. (I do have an air pump suitable for tanks up to 15g with a small air stone if there was ever an "02 emergency", lol.)

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Haha yeah its always good to have a backup for aeration and on that note i have a suitable video for such speak

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Hahahahhahaha! Whenever my husband and I are in a fish store and they have one of those bubbler chests, we do that!! "Bubbleeeeees!bublesbubblesbubblesbubbles! MY bubbles!" Lol!!!

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I just couldnt resist, I have managed to acquire a new nickname along with my colleague at work bubble and squeak, as she is bubbles ive given her that video to be the relation to the name and mine is the squeaky penguin toy from toy story as i am now Squeak, my work has some very random staff lol.

But as its only me in the 'hobby' *cough*addiction*cough* im always thinking bubblessss when im in the pet store on my own haha. To be honest i think some of us need to get out a bit more often

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LOL! I'm totally down with the randomness! Actually, it boggles peoples minds how fast I change topics.... like.... 5 different topics in one breath, lol! (And, random comedy is hilarious!)

I'm sure people look at us funny, but, meh! Who cares! Life needs more laughter and silliness! So, "bubbleeeeeeeeeeessss!" out loud I will!

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Definitely on the randomness there isnt enough of us rare breeds left lol. Changing multiple subjects at once is a fine art i do believe i got my degree in it from laa laa college with distinction i may add.

That did remind me though when my mum was with me in the store i was getting some dwarf gourami i turn my back and all i hear is my mum going 'oh look bubbbleeessssssss bubbblesssssss!!!!!' was the funniest thing ive seen for a while she was actually transfixed at some tank lol.

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"Just Keep Swimming Just Keep Swimming Swimming Swimming"

That's hilarious! My mom yells out "DUDE!" when something cool happens..... I tell her to "shhh!" lol!

Hey, you just mentioned you had some dwarf gouramis. Honey's are a type of dwarf gourami. How did you find the temperment of your Dwarfs? Were they fin nippers or violent to other fish? (That was our other choice if we didn't get Honey's.)

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Parents are there to embarrass us all

I have 4 dwarf gourami 1 male and female both mature and a 1 female and male infants. I've not had any problems at all with them they have kept to themselves so have been a nice addition to the tank

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Good to hear. What sized tank are they in and what other fish are they in with?

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They're in a 33gl tank, with cories, hillstream loach, cherry shrimp, neon tetras, pearl danios and my beloved bolivian rams

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Wow! With shrimp too! Now I really feel better about them!

I think 1 male and 2 or 3 females would be good, so that the male doesn't pester one female all the time. Then the 8 harlequins and 4-6 cory's, with the 3 snails..... still iffy on the Lemons. Don't want to over stock. It's 36g, and without the Lemons I'm at 18 fish if I get 8 Harleys and 6 corys, and 4 gouramis. (Assuming I get the max I wanted of each). Adding 8 Lemons puts me at 26 fish in a 36g tank - and I think a lot of people on here would consider that over -stocked. (Not really counting the snails.......)

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Yeah never put more than 1 male as males will fight to the death (ive been lucky as one is still an infant so the mature one has grown used to him), my tank is in terms over stocked but it has matured into coping with the stock levels but ive been transferring a couple to my 26gl tank over the past few weeks to level them out.

(ive got my eyes on a 50gl tank that i want thats going cheap)

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I guess it depends on the upkeep. If you do a fishless cycle, the tank is used to levels of 4-5ppm on ammonia and can eat it up in 24 hours, and you can stock the tank right away, so I suppose you can have a few extra fish in that case.

I was talking to Beaslbob about this in another thread, where he had a 10g with waaaaay more than 10 guppies... I think it was like 30 or something. It's all on space, filtration and water quality I guess. (Here's hoping 18-26 fish in a 36 gallon and 3 snails won't get me banned from the site, lol.) Thinking it may be safe to just go with 3 gourami, 8 Harley's, 6 corys and 3 snails...... possibly 6-8 lemons later.... (see, still can't decide, lol!) At least with gourami, harleys and corys there are bottom, middle and top dwellers. (I think harleys are middle swimmers anyway.)

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I like peppered cories also. They stay small and you'll want that for that sized tank, or get any other dwarf type cory and you'll be fine. My 7 emerald greens are about 3" and look to still be growing. I have them in one of my 125s.

I would substitute one of your fish with cherry barbs. Pretty peaceful, very active fish. The males are very colorful. I have grown to like them very much. I think I have about 13 of them.

Dwarf Gouramis are peaceful to other fish, just not to other males. Don't feel the necessity to get a female just because you have a male. They will not pick at other fish just because there is not another of their species in the tank. I have had my powder blue in a 29g tank since August and he has been doing great. He hasn't always been alone, gourami-wise, be he killed until he was and killed 4 others bfore I realized I should just leave it as-is.

Also, I would up your nerite snail total to at least 10. For them to be effective in algae control a lot of things I have read say 1 per 5g minimum. Combine with 4-5 Amanos and you'll have a pretty good algae crew.

On your plants....I would heavily plant this tank. Put all the plants in you want, and then everywhere there is not one put in some dwarf sag. Cover the bottom. Reduce unnatural decor and go all natural. Driftwood and plants look so much better than anything else you can put in a tank. Let the plants be your decor. And then maybe overstocking isn't as much as a concern as usually it would be. Most people's definition of "heavily" planted is what they think. To me it means to not have enough space for another plant in the tank and minimal decor, unless it is driftwood. Plus, you can spend more on decor than the entire tank....stuff is so expensive. Save it for plants and driftwood.

This is very true! We were thinking of a grarled wood piece we saw at the LFS (real wood) and then not sure what else. Will for sure look into drift wood! (It's better for growing mosses and plants on anyway!)

I would do "heavily" planted, but don't want to get into C02, so I think I'll do the sides and back planted, with other smaller plants throughout the tank. (Plants can also be expensive.) I will probably add more as time goes on, but just starting off, that will have to be enough. (I'm also planning on re-planting any clippings I take, so eventually the tank should fill out.) I'm sure throughout the years I will also add new plants as I come across them.

Cherry Barbs are really pretty! I'll have to ask the hubby what he thinks. (He's more into this hobby now than he wants to admit, lol!)

As for the Corys, I was looking into some of the smaller ones. They are all so cute! It's hard to decide. I thought there was only 1 species of Dwarf Cory, the "Dwarf Cory." I didn't know there were others. (Do you know which are considered Dwarf and which aren't?)

Did your male gourami kill females or just other males? (They are just so pretty I thought it would look nice with more than 1, so I thought 2 or 3 females would help.... but I don't want him to kill them!) A male and female dwarf and then 2 female Honeys would be perfect, but as I said, I don't want a bunch of fish deaths. (Is your powder blue a dwarf?)

LOVE amanos! Don't have any in the 10g but definitely thinking about putting them in the 36! With the snails, I should be pretty good on algae control.... may even have to feed them algae wafers and zucchini to substitute!!

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Just other males. They are pretty, but as with a lot of fish that stops at the males. Females are plain.