Opinions on 'centrepiece' fish for "empty-looking" 6ft temperate with small fish

[nixi]

Hi Everyone.

We upgraded to a 6 foot tank a few months ago, and moved our community of small fish over, basically so we could have more fish. However our fish are so tiny the tank is looking very empty, even with so many more added.

I would like some help picking something larger for the open middle areas of the tank that won't eat adult endlers and CPDs. My thoughts have been beta(s), colourful dwarf gouramis (i.e. honey), Rainbowfish school, Killifish, Flagfish, Angels, fish shop suggested Dwarf compressiceps cichlid or something beginning with 'g'. However I keep reading conflicting advice about their compatibility or aggressiveness (which I realise can be specific to individual fish rather than species).

Any other suggestions welcomed, as are any experiences of any of the above fish with guppies/danios/tiny fish.


Current Inhabitants:

• Guppies - "fancy" females and tiny "endler" males (although some "endlers" have tiny fancy tails e.g. cobra/tiger). Smallest adult male <2 cm
• Platys
• Danio school:
• • Mixed danio rerio types (zebra, leopard, albinos)
  • Danio choprae (glowlight danio)
  • +?adding danio albolineatus again?
• Danio margaritatus (celestial pearl danio/galaxy rasbora) tiny about 2 cm, lower tank dwelling, always amongst plants
• Tetra school - Neons, Cardinals, Green neons
• WCMMs (golden and normal)
• Bronze Corydoras - (normal and albino, 1 long-tailed)
• 1 slate Corydora from the 'bronze' tank
• True SAEs (currently 2 adults, 2 juveniles)
• 1 golden pencilfish (found in the bag with the adult SAEs, need to buy some friends)
• 1 unknown ?hybrid? synodontis 'rescue'- keeping an eye on this one to ensure it doesn't grow large enough to eat the CPDs or endlers. Have had it a year and it has grown from 5-8 cm in that time, including tail. Tends to stay hidden. Always on the bottom or the underside of an object, never free-swimming. So far has not predated anything: was in a tank on its own for a while except for platy + danio fry that it didn't eat, and also doesn't eat fish that die of old age. Has munched my crypts though when I've forgotten to put catfish food in.

Stats:

• 6' x 2' x 2.5'-deep, temperate planted 'riverbed', fully cycled
• ~670 litres of water for swimming.
• 2 canister filters, each rated 2000 lph turnover
• ~22 degrees Celcius.
• pH - alkaline but <8
• kH - 6
• gH >14 (I think - ran out of strips when the tank was set up)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Nicki

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