[Betta132]

Alright, I'll toss the hillstream loach idea out the window. Shame, they're adorable.
The swamp darters I'm looking at are actually fish that come with the ghost shrimp at my LFS, so they've been raised in conditions with slow-moving water. They're only $2 each, which is a real bargain for such a cutie.
I actually have a battery backup thingy that can run my aquarium for up to 2 days if the power goes out, so that shouldn't be a problem.
I'm going to be closely researching the various fish to make sure they'll get along, and I'm going to talk to people who have kept these.
Am I correct in thinking that different pencilfish species will school together like different cory or danio species will?
Do twig cats do okay on their own, or do they need schools?
Can anyone reccommend some smallish fish that are little oddballs? Weird colors, shapes, unusual breeds, or things like that?
I'm most likely going to obtain some sparkling gouramis, tiny fellows that reach just over an inch, do these guys fight if two males are together?
I used to have some ottos who died of apparent old age, and they chewed on flake food no problem. Mostly ate algae, though.
Would there be any issues with having, say, 8 pygmy cories in there? Pygmies, in my experience, barely hit 1", and many are smaller. They're very bold, but I was thinking they might be scared by the larger fish.
Is this tank big enough for a couple of dwarf water lilies?

 

[Betta132]

When I say 'small' oddballs, I mean something like 2", maybe 3" if it has a small mouth. I want to fill this tank with teensy fish. I think I'll research Threadfin Rainbows... I know a place that has some nice ones.
What about various killifish? I know these guys jump like crazy, but I have every tiny hole in the lid sealed off.
Are there any hatchetfish that stay under 3"? Hatchets are cool little things.
I'd love some African Butterflyfish, but they'd eat the tiny schoolers. Big mouths on those weirdoes... Well, if they get to 5" like I think they do. Another fish on my 'to be researched' list.
EDIT:
Forget the butterflyfish. Too big and mean.
What can you lot tell me about halfbeaks? 3" is a decent size, and they're definitely oddballs...

 

[Betta132]

Okay, went shopping, and this is what I got:
One big chunk of driftwoodwith loads of branches and crevices.
Two large crypts
One decent-sized anubias
Two large clumps of Java fern, both different kinds
One longfin golden leopard danio
Two golden zebra danios
One splendid goby (species name. It's a relatively easy goby species to care for, and cute as all get out!)
Seven pygmy cories. I was going to get just a few, but they were on sale, and it was too good to pass up. Plus, they're about 3/4", not the teeny baby ones you usually see being sold.
They were out of pencilfish, or I'd have a few. Might get them in a few weeks.
I must note that I don't know for sure what kind of danios I have, I just listed what they look like. The store had a tank full of mixed danios; leopard, blue, pearl, zebra, all in longfin, and some that may be hybrids. They were all the same price, $2, so I just asked for three random ones to up my school.
EDIT:
Apparently, splendid gobies are saltwater. However, what I have is most definitely not one of the saltwater ones.