Slow build 36 gallon bowfront

I am planning my first "big tank", to be completed in approximately 8m - 1year. I am still in the planning phase, but want some feedback on planned stocking. I plan for this to be a sand-bottom planted tank. I am also very limited with stocking choices because my only options are: a LFS over an hour away, Petsmart, and the internet (limited due to high shipping costs). Here's my initial stocking idea:

4 guppies
6-7 schooling fish (neon tetras/lemon tetras/cherry barbs/glowlight tetras/rummynose tetra?)
4-5 panda cories
1 dwarf gourami
1 pearl gourami
single male or pair of german blue rams
2 nerite snails
1 bristlenose pleco?
1 CPO cray?

Any feedback? I'm pretty good at maintaining water quality in smaller tanks I keep. I was hoping the two gouramis would work in a bigger tank.

 

I'm thinking it might be too warm for the pandas, maybe Sterbai?

 

They are a warm water cory so would be a good choice. also the bronze and albino corys as well are the warm water types and a re both the same species. I would skip the cray fish. The rams need the warmer temps. Yes on the BN pleco my favorite fish. the rest sound good. and if I haven't said it before, than welcome to the forum and glad you're here. Alison

 

Thanks aliray. I want this tank to be a gorgeous aquascaped masterpiece. And it is going to be an exercise in patience for me to take my time. You're right on the CPO, they're just so cool. The BN Pleco will have to fill the cool quotient. If my ghost shrimp survive the other inhabitants I will try adding red cherries. I have a thing for inverts. A little shoal of bronze and albino cories would look nice. Any suggestions for a colorful, peaceful, and hardy schooling fish?

 

CPO crayfish should get along with most of the guys you have listed, the pearl may eventually get big enough to be a threat. Though I recommend keeping them seperate. I see and interact with my cpos a lot more now that they're away from bigger fish.

If you want inverts, i'd do a cpo/shrimp tank separate from the big one.

 

Watch out for the compatability of a dwarf gourami with a full size gourami. Rummy nose tetras and diamond tetras are cool. Rams for days I did move my rams to a smaller tank away from the hustle of the schooling fish since they are a bit shy. Maybe narrow down the list to a few less species so that you can build bigger, happier schools of cories, for example. I had 4 cories and added 3 more recently (sterbai) and they are social butterflies now. My albino bristle nose pleco isn't much of a "cleanup crew" if that's what you're looking for, but he is interesting none the less.