Need opinions to go with these fish

[deonild]

I've decided, for my first aquarium, I want 1 fairly large fish, a guy stuck to the glass, and a fairly large school of small fish. This is a 36" long 30 gallon with a good filter, heated, black medium gravel, and good amount of plastic plants along the back and sides, 2 clay pot caves, plenty of swimming room in middle/front/top. My pH is 7.8 and hardness is 9, or 150ppm. I don't plan on manipulating the pH for my first tank.
For the fairly large guy I'm getting a Blue Gourami who I know will be fine in the pH, and for the guy on the glass I want a Bristlenose Pleco who I've seen max recommended pH 7.6, I hope he'll do fine? I am undecided about the group of small schooling fish. I know that Gourami's will eat baby fry but I hope no full grown small fish, 1.5in-2in?
I want a tight school, not just some schooling 10% of time like I've read livebearers do. I've researched so many different fishes that I think I can walk into a petstore blindfolded, spin around, and walk to a tank with schooling fish and like them enough. So many different good traits.

So. Please shoot me your recommendations, or experiences, of fish that would be good 1.5-2in tight schooling fish - not pencil thin like zebra danio/neon tetra, not extra long tails(doesn't do much for me), and not fin/feeler nippers. More active and playful the better, but should not make the gourami skittish or unable to eat. And preferably native to my pH of 7.8 and hard water.

[thrakuarium]

I have harlequin rasbora in one of my tanks and bloodfin tetra in the other large tank both seem to hang together well and neither are overly active (like danios) to the point where it would bother a gourami. Cherry barbs could work (not known to be nippers) and a few other tetra types school well also.

[jaysee]

Cherry barbs are a loosely schooling fish. I think the best choices for tightly schooling fish are tetras, rasboras, some danios/minnows and (for your tank size) dwarf rainbows.

[Taurus]

Pristella Tetra (X-Ray) will form a nice tight school and they have a wide range of acceptable ph levels. Harlequins are also great candidates. :22:

[deonild]

These are all good fish, I'm considering the Harlequin Rasbora most so far. Any more opinions are welcome.

[rangur1]

tight schooling fish include

pristella tetras , brilliant rasboras , red eye tetras , serpae tetras

harliquin rasboras , emporer tetras , diamond tetras,

all fit the bill temperment wise, but i believe these fish favor water ph of 6.5-7.0

however penguin fish [thayeria obliqua] are suited more to your water conditions , however i have never kept them. they are tetras, so they should school.

[gabbyguppy]

I have a school of Harlequin Rasboras and love them.

They've been in my tank for 2.5 years and are doing great. They are easy keepers and have great temperaments.

My tank pH is 7.6.

Karen

[Taurus]

tight schooling fish include

pristella tetras , brilliant rasboras , red eye tetras , serpae tetras

harliquin rasboras , emporer tetras , diamond tetras,

all fit the bill temperment wise, but i believe these fish favor water ph of 6.5-7.0

however penguin fish [thayeria obliqua] are suited more to your water conditions , however i have never kept them. they are tetras, so they should school.

Pristella tetra will do fine at ph of 7.0 to 7.8. Pristella have a wide habitat...from the Amazon and it's tributaries to coastal brackish water regions. Tank breed Pristella are even more tolerant.

[wolf_eyes]

tight schooling fish include

pristella tetras , brilliant rasboras , red eye tetras , serpae tetras

harliquin rasboras , emporer tetras , diamond tetras,

all fit the bill temperment wise, but i believe these fish favor water ph of 6.5-7.0

however penguin fish [thayeria obliqua] are suited more to your water conditions , however i have never kept them. they are tetras, so they should school.


A lot of these fish have been bred in fish farm/tank raised so much that you don't really need to take their natural ph into account. I would try to go with a more commonly available schooler such as harliequins if you plan on keeping them out of their norm. The fish being sold are most likely several, several generations away from their wild ancestors and will more easily adjust to ph out of their norm. Just make sure you acclimate them for a little longer time than you normally would


Also when you say blue gourami, which fish do you mean specifically? If its the species I'm thinking of ( either the three spot or the opaline gourami) they are quite agressive and should probably not be kept with peaceful schoolers.