Possible Changes To The Tank - Thoughts Welcome

You do indeed seem a big fan of them, @Matt.

On looking at the tank, what would you say is the main colour you see - silver, blue or shimmer? I already have silver-bodied fish (x-ray tetras) and therefore keen for something different.

Also, I'm wondering how the bubble-nest creation would work when it comes to feeding time and fish are leaping up to retrieve food from the water surface - would that cause a war in the tank if the poor sparkling gourami's bubblenest were to be broken?

I had my mind pretty much made up that I'd be waiting until further down the line until I got more fish (due to not wanting to over-stock) but you're swaying me, now that I realise I probably could have a sparkling gourami or two - would one on its own be an option, do you think?

I can't see why one would be a problem though.

Hmmm - was having a hunt around saw this which as rather put me off:

Gouramis have long pectoral fins that are very tempting to any potential fin nippers, Pygmy gouramis are known as very delicate fish, quite difficult and timid. I think they would need a well-planted tank with plenty of places to hide away. Single male dwarf gouramis are notoriously unpredictable and can become tank terrorists.

Oh, to have the space for a second fishtank, with some sparkling gourami, micro rasboras, ember tetras...

That's good.

I'm ultra cautious / a non-risktaker when it comes to fishkeeping, though - I don't want to do anything that might upset the applecart, especially given how upset I get when anything happens to my fish. I think I'll put this "on hold" for now and try to get a better/sustained plant situation in place, maybe reviewing the situation if I manage to get that under better control.

Sue has soft water and the same problem with plants; however, she's succeeding with hornwort and Ceratopteris cornuta (an alternative to water sprite) so they might be next on the to-try list.

My java fern and several species of anubias grow well in all three of my tanks.

The C. cornuta hasn't been in the tank long but it seems to be doing well. There are lots of baby plants appearing. And the hornwort in the 50 litre grows like mad. It would all be floating if I didn't loop it round a branchy piece of wood. I've read of a variety of hornwort called foxtail which more compact than standard hornwort.

Remind me, how soft is your soft water?

If it's not completely lacking in hardness, how about 1 male 2 female peacock gudgeons/gobies - you'll find them listed under both names. Seriously Fish reckons a 40 litre tank with a 45 x 30 cm footprint is OK for a couple of adult pairs, though personally I think that's a bit small for 2 males. I had two males in a 60 litre tank, footprint 60 x 30 cm several years ago and the two males I had in there did not get on at all. In my defence, I thought one was a female when I got them 

Thanks very much for the replies.

Remind me, how soft is your soft water?

My water hardness is as follows:
Calcium (mg Ca/l) - 9.24
Hardness as mg/l Ca CO3 - 28.96
Clark degrees - 2.03
French degrees - 2.90
German - 1.62
With the test kit, KH is 1.5 from the tap but 2 in the tank (due to the limestone rock) and GH is 1 from the tap but 2.5 in the tank - the previous test kit tended to be GH as 2 but 4 in the tank, so not sure how much to trust the test kits.

We just happened to drop into the LFS today to have a quick browse again. Always the way that what's not that enticing one week is much more so the next week, etc.  Cherry barbs were tempting today (but that would push the stocking limit over-the-top at the current time).  The celestial pearl danios' orange fins were really showing today so they elevated considerably in the temptation stakes.  The peacock gudgeons/gobies (which grow quite big eg 7cm) and sparkling gouramis were quite pale - but they were on the bottom row and so this probably wasn't doing them justice - but might next time I go in if experience is anything to go by!

I do very much like dwarf cichlids, rams, etc - would one be happy on its own, though, I wonder..?

Otocinclus need to be kept in groups of 6+ (according to Seriously Fish) which would send my stocking limits awry.

What puts me off shrimps and snails (another one of which I found in my tank yesterday and which must have come in on last week's new plants) is that I couldn't handle finding a semi-decomposed corpse that they might have feasted on or find them actually feasting on a corpse, which they have a tendency to do.

Any further suggestions/thoughts, and in light of the above info, very welcome. Thanks.

One ram would certainly be happier than 2 in your tank as there would not be enough floor space for two territories.  As to whether you feel it would be truely happy on its own really I believe is up to you... technically it doesnt need others of the same species to interact with...

Otocinclus in my opinion don't need to be kept in such high numbers, whilst they are found this way in the wild, they are not schooling or shoaling fish so to speak. I keep 2 currently and they don't interact with each other in the slightest.

I've learnt better than to question Sue but I believe celestial pearl danios would be ok - your open thoughts appreciated @Sue 

Other thoughts although someone would need to verify these are suitable.. Would a female Betta work?? Dario Dario?? What about killifish??

I also remembered fcmf liked the look of neon tetras - so hows about Axelrods Rasbora - essentially a much smaller version!

Really, really helpful info here; thanks so much for your thoughts and suggestions, both @Matt and @Sue. (Looks, from Seriously Fish, as though the Axelrods ought to be kept in large numbers, though, with 20+ suggested! - my tank would need an extension...)