Help stocking 40 gallon breeder tank

[Luv4dan]

Hello,

I recently got a 40 gallon breeder aquarium for a community tank. I have some idea what i want, but just wanted to know if these fish would go together and if the amount is right as i dont want to overstock.

10 amano shrimp
10 neon tetras
10 rummy nose tetras
10 marble hatchet fish
5 panda cory cats
6 otocinclus
1 powder blue dwarf gourami

Aqadvisor said i'd be 75% stocked and filtration capacity at 108% with an aquaclear 70. I kno aqadvisor is a guide so i wanted to know what you think. I will possibly add an ac30 or 50 later on. It will also have a decent amount of live plants. Also, if there is space for something else i'd love to hear your ideas; im thinking another bigger fish or a school of a smaller fish.
Thanks in advance

 

[azmodan]

Looks like a good stock. Personally in a 40b I'd go with a pearl gourami but nothing wrong with the dwarf. You could look into a dwarf cichlid or two like rams, apistos, keyholes, etc.

 

[Luv4dan]

The dwarf gourami was my husband's choice so he wouldnt feel left out lol. I did like the idea of one or two bolivian rams but i read they would eat the shrimp. I know amanos grow pretty big but the ones i have (in a 10 gallon) have not grown much in the few months I've had them and they are only about an inch in size so i'm worried they'd get eaten.

 

[toddnbecka]

Neons, marble hatchets, and particularly Oto's are poor choices for a new setup. Better to wait until the tank has been established for several months before adding any of those, and be aware that the marble hatchets are tough to feed even then.
If you want more circulation than the aquaclear 70 I'd add an air-driven sponge filter. Any fish can pick apart shrimp after they molt/before their new shell hardens, but I doubt bolivian rams would be any particular danger to fair-size shrimp.

 

[Luv4dan]

Thank you both for your inputs. The only reason i listed the neon tetras is because i already have a school in a 10 gallon and was planning on transferring them to the bigger tank. Do you still recommend waiting months to transfer them? I am planning on doing a fishless cycle.

 

[toddnbecka]

If you have an established tank already simply use some of that filter media in the new setup to establish it. No waiting for it to cycle, just start adding fish. The gourami, Cory cats, and shrimp should be fine to start, give it a week then add the neons, another week and then add more fish.