Asian set up

Well, I'm going to bring up the same point, so please forgive me!

However I have .....well, I don 't really want to admit in public. Let's just say I need two hands to count the number of display tanks I have :icon_redf ! (I also have a couple more tanks set up for breeding.) Anyway, in the process of stocking these tanks I've been left dissatisfied and unhappy with my selections on more than one occasion. It's very frustrating. Even more so because, in a heavily planted tank it's next to impossible to remove a shoal of small and fast fish afterwards. You pretty much have to remove the aquascape. Which, I've done.....more than once. I had to uproot all my plants from my 75g to remove 9 Diamond tetras when I found they were chewing the tails on my Lake Tebera Rainbowfish.

Anyway, when selecting fish I like to consider three points. One, choose fish that play different roles: ie., schooling specie, fish with lots of personality that notice me when I aproach the tank like cichlids. Stars of the show...my favorite in the tank, probably the reason I was willing to commit to another tank. Ie., my Congo tetra tank, my Lake Tebera Rainbowfish...and I love my Emperor tetras.

Two, I try to find fish which spread around the different areas of the tank. Not too many of them competing for the same dwelling space. Top dwellers, mid-water and then the bottom dwellers. Of course in a large tank you could house two different groups for the same areas.

Then third, I like to vary the sizes, body shape and colors across these groups. One group of larger fish....I don't need to put on my glasses and I can see somethings in the tank from across the room. Medium size. Than some that stay small too. I don't want most all of the fish in a community tank to end up being two inches. Some 4", one group 3", something in the 2" category .... and maybe something small. I also don't want all the fish to have the same body types....ie., torpedo shaped, or round and oval shaped.

Same point: Odessa barbs is a lot like Cherry barbs. What about Red Line Torpedo Barbs:
http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/416.htm

Or my all-time favorite rasbora, which are in the barb family, but which would inhabit a different area of the tank - Lambchop Rasbora:
http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/425.htm
Also a first rate schooling fish, right up there with the Rummy nose tetras for staying together!

Rasetsu- I thought Rainbows were from Australia

Rod Hay- I thought about the Torpedo Barbs but we just do get them around here and the one time we did they were expensive. I also don't like how big they get to have them as a schooling fish. My tanks not going to have a huge amount of current so im also worried about that..
****But I was thinking about maybe adding either 1 rainbow or red tail shark.

- I have 50 of the Lambchop Rasboras on the list. My pet shop just called them pork chops instead.



This is what I figured as to where the fish swim.
Top-
6 Pearl Gourmi: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/anabantids1/a/pearlgourami.htm
4 Banded Gourmai: http://www.fishdeals.com/anabantids/gourami/banded_gourami/

Mid-
50 Rasbora espei [porkchop] (Schools): http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Trigonostigma_espei.php
20 Checkered Barbs (schools) [mid-bottom]: http://www.centralpets.com/animals/fish/freshwater_fish/fwf4654.html
10 glass catfish (schools): http://www.brooklands.co.nz/tropical/glasscat.htm

bottom-
Kuhli loach: http://www.loaches.com/species-index/pangio-kuhlii
20 Sid loach (schools): http://www.loaches.com/species-index/yasuhikotakia-sidthimunki

all-
10 oto Cats: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/catfish1/p/otocinclus.htm
20 cherry barbs: http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/cherbarb.htm

Yeah Tiger barbs are the reason I always stayed away from barbs. But now I know not all are aggressive.

But I was thinking about maybe adding either 1 rainbow or red tail shark.

- I have 50 of the Lambchop Rasboras on the list. My pet shop just called them pork chops instead.



This is what I figured as to where the fish swim.
Top-
6 Pearl Gourmi
4 Banded Gourmai

Mid-
50 Rasbora espei [porkchop] (Schools)
15 Checkered Barbs (schools) [mid-bottom]
10 glass catfish (schools)

bottom-
Kuhli loach
20 Sid loach (schools)

all-
10 oto Cats
15 cherry barbs


Rasbora hengeli are basically the same as the 50 Rasbora espei [porkchop] I already have on the list.

I was thinking of adding some Rummy nosed tetras. But I always have heard bad things about them dying? If I added some how many could/should I add?