I'm an experienced aquarist planning to get a new 40 gallon breeder for a community tank with live plants, a smooth sand substrate, and fairly low current. The tap water here is 8 dGH and around 7.4 pH, and while I'd prefer fish that can adjust to that, if I really like the fish I can change the pH/hardness. I haven't bought anything for this new tank yet, so I am open to changes or suggestions for how to set up the tank to make it ideal for the fish I end up getting.
I already have a male Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) and a male Bolivian Ram (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus) I'll be moving to this tank once it is planted and cycled, so those definitely need to be compatible with the other fish I add. I want to stay away from fin nippers and super active fish because of the Honey Gourami as well as territorial fish that would tangle with the Bolivian Ram, but that should still leave me with some nice options, I hope. Any fish that would be good?
I already have a male Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) and a male Bolivian Ram (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus) I'll be moving to this tank once it is planted and cycled, so those definitely need to be compatible with the other fish I add. I want to stay away from fin nippers and super active fish because of the Honey Gourami as well as territorial fish that would tangle with the Bolivian Ram, but that should still leave me with some nice options, I hope. Any fish that would be good?