Which Schooling Fish Would Thrive Most In My Setup?

[Akeath]

Some weeks ago I lost all of my Harlequin Rasboras to a freak illness brought in by new Harlequins I got from a pet store I hadn't used before. It was my fault for not quarantining. I was devastated, as I've been keeping Harlequin Rasboras in one of my tanks for 17 years now. It felt unreal to lose them all.

After treating the tank, setting up a UV sterilizer, and monitoring everything closely I'm now thinking about trying a different schooling fish for the tank. I haven't been in a position to choose a new schooling species in my tanks for 5 years, so I really want to do thorough research and make the best choice. My biggest concern is that the new species not fin nip because a lot of my fish are longfin varieties and I also have 4 Honey Gourami. My Honeys are easily intimidated by boisterous fish, too, so I want fish on the more placid side of peaceful. I'm also already a bit bottom heavy, so I'd really prefer upper water or midwater options.

Aquarium: 40 gallon breeder (36 by 18 by 16) high tech planted aquarium
2 filters, an Aquaclear 70 and a Fluval C3, both set to lighter current.
Finnex 24/7+ HLC-36A 32 Watt Customizable LED Light - the picture was taken as the aquarium light was switching toward more blue for the evening, so it looks a bit brighter than it normally is.
The GKM9W Internal UV System with Power Head – Green Machine
Smooth sand substrate
Plants: Vallisneria, Crypts, Water Sprite, Java Fern, Anubias, Wisteria, Bacopa, Swords, and some fake plants as well
Lots of spiderwood and 4 different types of caves, including some that float.

Stocking: 7 Longfin Cherry Barbs, 4 Honey Gourami, 1 Longfin Albino Ancistrus, 5 Aeneus Cories
0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 5-10 Nitrate. Set up for about 8 years.
pH: 6.9, Hardness: 12 dGH, 5 kH
74 degree temp but that can be bumped around a bit if necessary

I took a look at my more reputable local stores, and here's a list of fish I really liked. I'm early stages and haven't researched them thoroughly yet, so any resources about them would also be appreciated. I'll probably be looking into them for some weeks before getting them, and also ensuring the tank is stable in the meantime. New ideas are also welcome.

Threadfin Rainbowfish (Iriatherina werneri)
Blue Daisy Ricefish (Oryzias woworae)
Snakeskin Barbs (Desmopuntius rhomboocellatus)
Five Banded Barbs (Desmopuntius pentazona)

Fish I've kept in the past that I'm thinking about again:
Espei Rasbora (Trigonostigma espei)
Platinum Tetra (Hemigrammus vorderwinkleri)

Which of these would be happiest in my particular setup? Are there any other great options I'm overlooking?

 

[Innesfan]

All the fish you mention are lovely species. The two barbs are most likely to inhabit the lower third of the water column so given that you state you're already bottom heavy, you might want to look elsewhere. And I say this as a barbs-lover, especially those in the genus Pethia.

I like all the rasboras. All the advantages of schooling tetras without the potential nippiness. I have a large school of Emerald Eyes, Brevibora dorsiocellata that I enjoy a lot. Also lovely are Red Line Rasboras, Trigonopoma pauciperforatum and their close cousins Trigonopoma gracile. Both tightly schooling species that tend to inhabit the upper half of the water column, though not as active as Harlequins. For tetras, I find the rhomboid shaped tetras--Serpae, Rosy, Lemon, Garnet etc--more inclined to nip than the torpedo shaped characins--Glowlights, Lorettos, Chocolate Neons etc--though there are exceptions.

It's a lovely set-up. Looking forward to see what you decide.

 

[CassCats]

I think the GH is too high for trigonopoma who need a lower GH, but theyd have been a good suggestion otherwise. I love mine.

Threadfins are lovely, but also pretty active so might be too much stress for the gouramis.

Rice fish though would be an amazingly underrated option! Theyd have my vote.