Stocking List...

[WayneVT08]

Think these fish will be fine in a 55 gallon tank, will be building a larger tank when the time comes. The cherry barbs don't have to included, I thought they would be a nice edition with some red coloration.

5 Clown Loaches
5-6 Tiger Barbs
5-6 Giant Danios
3 Dwarf Gourami - one male, two female.
2 Cherry Barbs - One male, one female. Wikipedia.com suggested they should just be kept in pairs.
A few corydoras catfish... any suggestions here? Haven't read much about cory's but everyone seems to have them.
Or....
A BN plec that I would have to get off the internet, because from the few places I have visted they don't have them, but I have a new PetCo coming in early June I think, and a small LFS up the road a ways that I haven't been to in a while...

 

[dwarfgourami]

Personally I would not put hyperactive fish (giant danios and tiger barbs) and potentially fin-nipping fish (tiger barbs) in with dwarf gouramis: I would decide on either a fast, zippy tank or a slow peaceful one. In fact, I've just had to make that agonising decision myself, as I have fallen in love with moustached danios, but had already decided on pearl gouramis. And my family can not be brought to see that there is room for two big tanks in the living room (if we throw out the stereo, that is ).
I think in your case there is a risk that the barbs might nip at the gouramis or that the gouramis might simply get stressed out by all the fast zippy action.
I think you are right that eventually you would have to get a bigger tank for your 5 clown loaches, but I believe they are fairly slow growers.

 

[vancouver]

You could go with larger gouramis.. I've kept larger gouramis with barbs before.

 

[dwarfgourami]

You could go with larger gouramis.. I've kept larger gouramis with barbs before.

That sounds a better idea; dwarfs seem a bit fragile these days.

 

[vancouver]

Moonlight gouramis get a decent size, as do pear gouramis. Pearls are more colorful, moonlights are basically just grey/silver. If you could find a good sized opaline or gold gourami that could work too.

 

[Ginge]

I would no tget the Clown Loaches as they do grow big and will out grow the 13" depth quite qiuckly.

 

[WayneVT08]

I would no tget the Clown Loaches as they do grow big and will out grow the 13" depth quite qiuckly.

I did in fact say that I was going to be building a larger tank. Maybe you just overlooked it. Plus once the Clown Loaches get to be about 3-4 inches their growth slows down. But on the other hand, how big do regular gourami's grow to be? I was also thinking of taking the Gourami's out and just having the Tiger Barbs and the Giant Danios. What else could I put with those two?