Cycle Finished, Need Stocking Help.

[Nayelismama]

Hello after a month of fish-less cycling following TwoTankAmin's guide I have gotten double zeros for the last two days, Nitrates are 40/80 can't tell the actual shade as it looks the same to me. My tanks states are 48 by 13 by 25. It has sand substrate and live plants, pH is 7.4 and hardness is 9.2 grains per gallon? So this is the family's hopeful stocking list, cardinal/neon tetra's, silver tipped tetra's, harlequin rasboras, honey gourmai's and some corycats. I'm hoping someone can look over this stocking list and see if it'll be alright for the tank along with how many fish would be OK to be in each school. Thank you

 

[Byron]

The grains per gallon is one measurement method for GH (general hardness) and it basically equates to dGH, so 9.2 g/g is 9 dGH which is moderately hard at the low end so you are in good shape for fish.  Those mentioned are soft to moderately hard water preferring so you shouldn't have much trouble.  The tank is 67 US gallons with those measurements (I've assumed they are in inches, not cm, as you're in the US).
 
To the numbers.  Corys are always better the more there are, so I would have no less than a dozen, and you could double that if you like.  Try to get several of a species, all of them, or you can mix species but just have 5-6 minimum of each species if you do.  Sand is perfect, and plants are good.  Some chunks of wood will also benefit corys.
 
The tetra and rasbora are also shoaling fish, and again the more the better.  With the space you have, I would not get less than nine of whichever species, some maybe 12-15, and you could easily have those mentioned.  My only caution would be the Silvertip...with sedate fish (gourami) they have been known to get a bit nippy; if this were me, and you stay with gourami, I would find another tetra.
 
Honey Gourami are nice in a small group; try to get more females than males if you can; so one male and two females, or two males and three or four females.
 
Some floating plants will benefit all these fish, and the gourami in particular.
 
Do some water changes to lower the nitrates before adding fish.
 
Byron.

 

[Nayelismama]

Two quick questions, do honey gourami get the same disease as regular drawf gouramis? Also would my tank stats allow shrimp and snails?

 

[Nayelismama]

One last question, I want to clarify if this is what you meant. In regards to the schooling fish my tank could safely have 12-24 cories, 9-15 neons, rasboras, and another small fish as well as 6 gourmai? Or have I seriously misunderstood what you suggested? If it the latter I'd like clarification please.

 

[Byron]

Two quick questions, do honey gourami get the same disease as regular drawf gouramis?
 

 
I assume you are referring to the iridovirus which was initially a dwarf gourami issue.  As far as I know from my reading, it may affect other species in the same tank.  However, I have not read that it is carried in by other species.  I have seen opinions on both sides from reliable sources.  And these still suggest avoiding the dwarf gourami unless you can obtain it directly from a reliable breeder/source (source not meaning any store, but the place where it was bred/raised).
 

Also would my tank stats allow shrimp and snails?
 

 
Yes.
 

One last question, I want to clarify if this is what you meant. In regards to the schooling fish my tank could safely have 12-24 cories, 9-15 neons, rasboras, and another small fish as well as 6 gourmai? Or have I seriously misunderstood what you suggested? If it the latter I'd like clarification please.
 

 
You have mentioned a planted tank, and given the dimensions, equating to around 60 gallons.  I see no issues with these numbers together, provided you do weekly partial water changes (50% or thereabouts).  Stock slowly, obviously, not all at once.
 
I might alter things if you change species, we are talking in generalities here.  The rasboras I am assuming to be the Harlequin which is what most people mean by rasbora, but if you had another of the larger species...and the third "tetra" is not mentioned, and some will be more problematic than others.
 
Byron.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

If you followed the fishless cycling article here, you need not stock gradually. You should be able to stock fully all at once if you want to in terms of being safe from ammonia etc. This is one of the benefits of a fishless cycle.
 
Just out of curiosity, how did your live plants do while you were adding ammonia to the tank over that month? My bet is they all came through the cycling process OK. One reason you were ready in 4 weeks, and not the usual 5-6, is the presence of those plants and the bacteria they had on them when they went into the tank.

 

[Nayelismama]

If you followed the fishless cycling article here, you need not stock gradually. You should be able to stock fully all at once if you want to in terms of being safe from ammonia etc. This is one of the benefits of a fishless cycle.
 
Just out of curiosity, how did your live plants do while you were adding ammonia to the tank over that month? My bet is they all came through the cycling process OK. One reason you were ready in 4 weeks, and not the usual 5-6, is the presence of those plants and the bacteria they had on them when they went into the tank.

I think my plants did alright, after about a week the leaves turned a translucent brown and disappeared and new green leaves started appearing.