stocking for my tank size * water chemistry / personal taste

[bubble bobble]

I have a 40gal tall thickly planted tank, it's been running for about 3-4 months now, and i'm still trying to figure out my final stocking plan. Here's what I currently have:

2 cory cats
1 SAE
1 oto cat (the others didnt make it)
6 male endlers livebearers

also 1 yo yo loach, but He will be relocating to a new home soon, as he's very aggressive to everything else, and will be pretty large for the tank someday, and i'm just not into loaches that much.

Ideally, what i would like, if my tank was bigger, would be:

a pair of angels, and maybe a gourami, to inhabit the top portion of the tank (tall tank)

a kribensis and a handful of apistogrammas to inhabit the bottom territories

a few cory cats, SAE/oto, and the endlers.

this would probably overkill on the bioload of a 40 gal tank, so for making a leaner stocking list, I was thinking about the following:

1, or maybe a pair of angels, or 1 angel and 1 gourami
no kribensis
4-5 apistogrammas
2-3 cory cats
SAE
oto cat
the endlers

I would be happy with this, the only other issue is the rather extreme water that comes out of my tap. here are the specs from my water department:
PH: 8.1
Total Hardness: 369 (mg/L)
Total Alkalinity: 171 (mg/L)

I tried keeping blue rams, but they died after 3-4 weeks, probably because of the water chemistry? Would this also be too difficult to keep the apistos in? it seems perfect for the Kribs, but I have a feeling they will get too big to be with corys & plants, and too aggressive to be with angels & gouramis.

This is my first Tank, but I learn quickly, research often, and really like to sink my teeth into things.

Also, If I get a small, juvenile angelfish and raise it surrounded by endlers, will it still eat them when it grows up?


Thanks!

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note:
here's a link to the brochure about my local water quality. it's a pdf, so i would reccomend downloading it from this link before opening it, so your browser doesnt choke.
http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3897F15E-49FE-426C-A3E4-9BDB40BAEEFD/0/2003JuneWQRpt.pdf
and i get the water from the treatment plant, not the groundwater...
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[dskidmore]

The angelfish might not eat the endlers it grew up with, but when those guys pass on and you want to replace them, the store-sized ones will be lunch. I got rid of my angelfish for this reason. He kept eating all my new purchases.

If it's in the budget, you may want to consider getting an RO/DI water system. For your purposes, you don't need a high quality one, you just want to knock down the hardness. You could probably do well with half RO/DI and half tap in each water change.

I would also caution against the Cichlids, as they can be agressive, and do best in a species specific tank. If you want to mix lots of species, they need to all be good community fish.

Gourami do well in pairs, if you can find a female. What variety were you thinking of? Some get larger than others.

Here's a compatibility chart that may help you pick out fish that will go well with your existing set. They don't specifically mention endler's, but look under guppy for them.

 

[JustOneMore20]

What are the actual dimensions of the tank? I think you are trying to house too many fish together that possibly won't get along. Tall tanks don't have as much horizontal swimming room, so you have to be careful what you stock them with.

I'd choose either Kribs or Apistos. If you want Apistos, I'd go with a trio (1m/2f), if you want Kribs, I'd go with a pair.

Cories are social fish, so IME 2-3 isn't enough. I'd go with 6 atleast.

If the tank is long enough, you should be ok with the angel and the gourami. Angels stay towards the bottom/middle though, so hopefully it won't cause problems for the Apistos or Kribs. Gouramis stay towards the top alot, but sometimes my Blue gourami hangs out near the bottom. It should be ok to keep with the angel though.

If you can get more Otos, then go with 3-4 more. They are also social fish that like groups.

 

[bubble bobble]

the tank is 30" long x 20" high, by 12" deep. I know it's too small to fit everything I would ideally like to have, I'm trying to narrow it down to something that will make both me and the fish happy. I was not aware that angelfish spent most of their time near the bottom. whenever I've observed them at a store or friends aquarium, they seem to be wherever they feel like it, often in the top third of the tank.

Since the tank is so tall, I would really like to stock it with fish that would fell different areas of the water column, rather than have the bottom be packed with life, and the top be an empty ghost town.

so how about this:
4 corys
3-5 apisitos
6 endlers
either 2 dwarf gouramis, or 1 3spot gourami
2-3 oto's

what about rainbowfish? they typically inhabit the top portion of the water column right? and theyre pretty peaceful and community friendly? should I think about having a couple/few small rainbows instead of the gouramis?

I also really like the personalities of the angelfish, the way they look you in the eye and recognize you when you come in the room. are the apistos similar in their, well, intelligence and pet-like qualities since theire cichlids as well?