New to the site. 36 gallon community stocking?

[Brandon3000]

hello everyone, my name is Brandon and I am new here on the site (and to aquarium keeping). I recently picked up a 36 gallon Aqueon bowfront starter kit on sale and I decided that I'd want to start my first aquarium. I've yet to set up the tank, due to not being able to find a decently priced cabinet (Any suggestions would be great).
I know for sure I want a community tank with live plants. At first I wanted all sorts of fish; Angels, Tetras, and Tiger barbs! But with some reading done, I quickly found out this was a bad idea. I want multiple schools with much diversity in this tank. Not only species diversity, but also color and appeal diversity. I'm just not sure or how many of each fish to put! So far I was looking at these fish:
Neon Tetra
Cardinal Tetra
Lemon Tetra
Rummynose Tetra
Pentazona Barb (Heard they do well in communities?)
Zebra Danios
maybe some white cloud mountain minnows?
that's about all I got so far. Any other beautiful and wonderful species would be GREATLY appreciated. and numbered suggestions would be AWESOME. I do not want an overcrowded tank. At first I was thinking 6 cardinals, 5 lemons, 5 Pentazonas, 5 Zebras, and a few rummy's, but that's just way too many. I also need to balance out the tank with some top swimmers and bottom dwellers, and I'm not familiar with too many. I'm just a newbie trying to get started. I know I have my heart set on either neons/cardinals and the pentazonas, but if it's not do-able, then the heart can always be readjusted.
~Brandon

 

[Sidman24]

I have lemons and they are gorgeous! They can be a bit nippy though. I think you should definitely get some cories. There are many different breeds to choose from. Also one angel would be okay as well. Then a school of your choosing. Make sure to at least have 6 in your school ... After all that maybe a mystery snail or two just for that extra spark

 

[Mebbid]

In a 36g I would try a school of 6+ harlequin rasboras, 10+ neon tetras, 6+ panda corys, Neon blue dwarf gourami and a bristlenose pleco.

That will give you 3 good but not overwhelming schools of fish. The rasboras and tetras will range all over the tank while the cory cats will hang out at the bottom. The gourami will give some free range swimming to the tank plus a clunky pleco is always fun in a tank as well.

 

[josh7]

You know about the cycling process correct? In that size tank I would either do

6- Silver or marbled hatchetfish
8- Harlequin Rasboras
6-8 Cory's (pandas, Julis, false julis, bronze, or peppered Cory's).
1- Honey gourami they are hardier than dwarf gouramis.

Or you could do a stock of
1- Angelfish
8- Cherry Barbs
1- Bristlenose pleco
6- Cory's
6- Lemon tetras.

 

[Brandon3000]

What if I were to do
1 angelfish
6 harlequin dashboard
6 lemon tetras
6 cherry barbs
Maybe a dwarf blue gourami
Maybe 4-6 panda Cory's
Maybe 6 cardinal tetras.
What do you guys think. I'm willing to work around things and change it up. Thanks for all of the great info

 

[josh7]

What if I were to do
1 angelfish
6 harlequin dashboard
6 lemon tetras
6 cherry barbs
Maybe a dwarf blue gourami
Maybe 4-6 panda Cory's
Maybe 6 cardinal tetras.
What do you guys think. I'm willing to work around things and change it up. Thanks for all of the great info

Do not put a gourami with the angel they will fight like mad do one or the other. Everything else looks fine except if you do an angel don't do cardinal tetras they will be eaten when bigger. Also make sure to do 6 panda Cory's that bigger group will do better.

 

[Scottyhorse]

What if I were to do
1 angelfish
6 harlequin dashboard
6 lemon tetras
6 cherry barbs
Maybe a dwarf blue gourami
Maybe 4-6 panda Cory's
Maybe 6 cardinal tetras.
What do you guys think. I'm willing to work around things and change it up. Thanks for all of the great info

I would pick two schools, a shoal for the bottom (total three schools) and the angel.

 

[Mebbid]

What if I were to do
1 angelfish
6 harlequin dashboard
6 lemon tetras
6 cherry barbs
Maybe a dwarf blue gourami
Maybe 4-6 panda Cory's
Maybe 6 cardinal tetras.
What do you guys think. I'm willing to work around things and change it up. Thanks for all of the great info

Definitely no for the cardinal tetras. They are a very sensitive fish to keep and they die quite often.

I would pick two schools, a shoal for the bottom (total three schools) and the angel.

I am going to agree with scotty on this. Too many schools of fish make the tank look messy and chaotic.

 

[Sidman24]

Do not put a gourami with the angel they will fight like mad do one or the other. Everything else looks fine except if you do an angel don't do cardinal tetras they will be eaten when bigger. Also make sure to do 6 panda Cory's that bigger group will do better.

Not exactly true! I have a opaline gourami with 2 angels. All get along fine. Just depends on the species IMO

 

[bribo12]

Definitely no for the cardinal tetras. They are a very sensitive fish to keep and they die quite often.

I'm pretty sure it is the other way as neons are less hardy due to inbreeding. I say go with cardinals they are nicer looking as well. Or rummynose they are my favorite out of the tetras.

 

[josh7]

Not exactly true! I have a opaline gourami with 2 angels. All get along fine. Just depends on the species IMO

I was just saying from my experience it had never worked. You got lucky by having that gourami l live peacefully with your angels. In most cases it never works from what I have read and have had happened.

 

[josh7]

I'm pretty sure it is the other way as neons are less hardy due to inbreeding. I say go with cardinals they are nicer looking as well. Or rummynose they are my favorite out of the tetras.

That's true! I was saying not to do cardinal tetras because I think an adult angel could eat them.

 

[mistersprinkles]

That's true! I was saying not to do cardinal tetras because I think an adult angel could eat them.

Cardinals get bigger than neons when they're full grown. Any fish small enough to fit in the angel's mouth is a potential target. They're piscivores.

 

[Sidman24]

I was just saying from my experience it had never worked. You got lucky by having that gourami l live peacefully with your angels. In most cases it never works from what I have read and have had happened.

Haha I never knew that! I guess I am lucky

 

[bribo12]

Cardinals get bigger than neons when they're full grown. Any fish small enough to fit in the angel's mouth is a potential target. They're piscivores.

+1
That's why the op should get rummys! They get bigger than neons and cardinals . They also school very nicely

 

[Brandon3000]

Ok so how about this
What if I were to do
1 marble gourami
6 harlequin rasboras
6 lemon tetras
6 panda Cory's
6 cardinal tetras.
Maybe a few snails at the bottom
Better?

 

[Scottyhorse]

Ok so how about this
What if I were to do
1 marble gourami
6 harlequin rasboras
6 lemon tetras
6 panda Cory's
6 cardinal tetras.
Maybe a few snails at the bottom
Better?

Take away one of the schools and you should be fine.

 

[Brandon3000]

Gah this is so difficult haha

 

[josh7]

I would personally drop the cardinal tetras. I don't know I feel like a cardinal could get eaten by an adult angel guys. It's not that much bigger than a neon tetra.

 

[Brandon3000]

I've dropped the angel and replace with a marble gourami. New list is
one marble
6 harlies
6 lemons
6 cardinals
6 Cory's
But I think that's too much so I'm deciding which school to drop. It's between the cardinals and the lemons truthfully.