How does this tank sound?

[Mint]

I’m planning a 40 Gallon Breeder tank. Here’s the general layout of the tank. It’s going to be heavily planted, with a black sand bottom and some decorative Dragonstone for a cave. Plus, driftwood, for the pleco. PH…unsure where it’ll be now, but I’m aiming for slightly acidic neutral. And as for the fish:
- 1x Lemon Blue-Eyed Bristlenose Pleco. (4-5 inches)
-13x Green Neon Tetras (1 Inch)
-7x Flame Tetra (1.5 Inches)
-7x Glowlight Tetra (1.5 Inches)
-1x Bolivian Ram (4 inches)
Plus some Malaysian Live-Bearing snails, and probably some cherry shrimp if I ever manage to find someplace that sells them. Unsure if Kuhli Loaches add to bioload, also. If they do, I won’t put them in. Does this tank sound good? Any problems with it? Any different fish you’d recommend?

 

[Wills]

Looks good to me if you have soft water. I think the thing to think about is that you don't have any bottom dwellers. I'd be tempted to swap the Flame or Glowlight Tetras for a school of Cories - maybe a smaller species like Pandas so you get a bigger group.

If you went for the Khuli Loaches they do add bioload as all fish do but, I'd go for Cories to keep the tank South American. If you got Cherry Shrimp your Ram might eat them so might not be the best choice. Your adults may be ok but babies will struggle.

Wills

 

[GaryE]

It sounds good to me. You do have bottom dwellers - the ram and the bristlenose.

To me, Malaysian livebearing snails are an extremely unwelcome pest I'd never add to a tank. They overpopulate, and individuals die in their shells while buried and hard to detect. They are not good for water quality, and the substrate doesn't need to be turned over. They serve no necessary function.

 

[seangee]

Obviously your choice but of it was me:

• Leave the Ram - I don't buy into the concept of needing a centrepiece
• One species of tetra and a bigger group (20+)
• One species of cory - again a decent sized group, say 15

 

[Byron]

I concur with some of what has been posted but there are some questions. First, water parameters. The pH is tied to the GH and KH, and some other factors, but primarily these and it will be what it is according to the GH/KH. What is the GH and KH of your surce water? This will tell you/us what the pH will naturally do, and it is always safer to leave the parameters alone so the natural laws govern things without incident.

Second, the dragonstone...I've never used this, does it affect parameters at all? If it is calcareous for example it will likely increase the GH/KH/pH and you are intending soft and very soft water fish. Is it rough or smooth...this can impact substrate fish.

I had a 40g breeder as one of my 8 or 9 tanks in my fishroom, and when I moved four years ago and had to downsize I kept this tank as my largest. It held 40 Corydoras, 20 rummynose, 12 pencilfish, a whiptail (Rineloricaria species, the smaller ones)., a pair of Characidium fasciatum, and a few odd tetras the last survivors of groups of the species that I'd had for over a decade. I have never touched the sand and the fish thrive. Photo below (sand was dark grey, though it always photographs white with my phone). Point here is that there is considerable room if the fish are compatible in every way. I found this tank a nice size dimension wise for some interesting aquascapes over the latter years.