I was thinking about going with a biotope of India, using the danios and then going with a gourami as my centerpiece and then getting maybe yoyo loaches for the bottom. I thought about ditching the biotope and getting rams, but I hear they can be difficult/fragile, and I travel at least 2-3 weeks each year (not all at once, many times it's just weekends), so I am looking at something that would be fairly easy to care for so my friends can watch them while I am gone.
As for the gouramis, would it be better to get just one male, or should I get a group (m/f ratio?) or pair?