When I look at these pics, I have to remind myself that I'm looking at a stand that is a hair under 4' tall. The 2 X 4s look like dwarf versions. I'm used to seeing stands that are much shorter. If you saw this in person, you would understand.
You could put 50+ cories in such a big tank. Go with a few different species. Each species has its own characteristics. You'd also need dither fish. Since I added Rasboras to my cory tank, all of my cories have been very active.
Here's a tank that is 48" long X 12" wide X 13" high. The tank I'm planning would essentially be two of these placed end to end. I like the look because it can highlight bottom dwelling species (which are my favs). The problem is that because this tanks are so shallow, it is tough to get a good view of them -- thus, the cabinet.
Hope it works this time. I like the look of this tank because it is long and shallow. I've always thought that this design highlights bottom dwellers better than others. This tank is 48" X 12" X 13. If you place two of these together, it would be the tank I hope to somehow own.
If I decide to go with a single species, it would be C. sterbai. I have plenty of time to plan for this, and I'll probably change my mind a thousand times, but I'm leaning on only having one kind of fish in there. I've always had mixed community aquariums. Time for something different.
I want to wait on a canopy until I know what lights I'm going to purchase. Right now, I'm interested in two of these to span the length of the tank: