What fish to choose...

[Evicene]

Hi
Im wanting to add some more fish to my semi-dutch planted tank.
Its a 90cmx45cmx45 tank (approx 50g).
Im trying to stick with more natural coloured fish so they blend into the tank as my plants are already brightly coloured - so avoiding blues.

I currently have:
6x Otocinclus Catfish
7x Corydoras pygmaeus
15x Ember tetra
15x Hengals rasbora

I am thinking of adding the following to increase schoal sizes:
4x Otocinclus Catfish
5x Corydoras pygmaeus
5x Ember tetra
5x Hangel rasbora

I also want to add a bottom dweller.... maybe another type of corydoras?
8x Corydoras Sterbai?
It has a nice pattern but still natural colours

And a feature fish...
Chocolate Gourami x 6
This is my main concern... im really not sure what to expect with this fish.
Can they handle...
Fertilizers?
Bright lighting?
Other fish species?
Open top tank (Jumping)?

thank you

[discuspaul]

As to Cories, you might consider Emerald Cories, or Peppered Cories - Bronze Cories are quite nice too, and I think you would like Panda Cories. Check them out.

Chocolate Gouramis are beautiful, graceful, brightly-colored fish which should co-exist well & peacefully with the other species you have mentioned, including the Rasboras. They're not jumpers to my knowledge. Ideal tankmates for them are smaller, slow-moving fish, as they are quite shy and can be a touch skittish at times. So they prefer a reasonably well-planted environment with some areas where they can rest quietly away from the usual hub-bub. Not sure how they'd take to bright lighting - I had mine in low/moderate lighting, but it should be ok.
Hope this helps.

Oh, and be a little careful with the total number of fish - the Gouramis are reasonably-sized, and the total number of fish you have in mind may be starting to approach the recommended max bio-load for a 50 gal tank.

[Evicene]

Thank you Discuspaul.
I really like the Peppered Cories as well, they are lovely - i prefer them to the plainer coloured ones.
From my experience the pandas in Australia at the moment are very weak. I lost 10 of them very quickly while my pygmaeus (bought at the same time) are perfectly fine!

I am very close to my bioload limit but i do a large water change weekly (about 50%).
So hopefully that should be ok.

Will the gourami's be happy in a group of 6? or is there too much chance of the males fighting?

[discuspaul]

You're quite right about the Panda Cories. Although I love them, I find they're more delicate than all other Cories I've had, and did not do well in the higher temps of my discus tank.

If you're doing 50% wcs once a week you should be fine with your intended bio-load.

The Gouramis should be quite happy in a group of 6. I've not had any problem with male aggression toward each other, unlike other varieties of Gouramis. Go for it - I think they're quite unique, interesting fish !

[discuspaul]

BTW, I must add that I think your choices for the combined group of fish species you want to keep is excellent.
While I'm not currently keeping Chocolate Gouramis, at the moment I do have a small tank with Harlequin Rasboras, Ember & Neon Tetras, which is not far removed from the general treatment/combination approach of the species you're planning - but yours is better - the Gouramis will be the 'centerpieces' for your tank, and the Otos will add an interesting touch.

[Evicene]

Thank you so much!
I really want the gouramis to be the centerpiece - they are such a special little fish and a perfect size for a community.
The embers and hangels really complment each other and dont mind schoaling together. While the corys and ottos just do their own thing.

Makes for a more interesting and natural tank when everyone gets along

[discuspaul]

You've said it all very well.
Best of luck with everything.