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" so currently it seems like the best mates are either the danios or the rasboras. "
I vote rasbora as they are more sedate. The danios are active and would spook the slower honey gourami.
Agree. Once parameters are out of the way, which includes temperature and you are close to issues here too, then the activity level of each species must be considered. Sedate [= non-active swimmers] fish like gourami, angelfish, discus, and some others should not have active tankmates. This too has varying definitions, but very generally all danios and barbs are relatively active, most rasboras are not active and some are rather sedate, and among the characins many are sedate with some active species.
Neon tetras are not active per say, and they remain in the lower half of the tank. Rasboras, the species here at least, are very sedate and remain (unless stressed) basically mid-tank. The gourami are mid to upper level, basically surface fish. Need floating plants (and I don't mean duckweed!). Corydoras are active, but not in the same sense as danios and most barbs.
I plan on having no live plants in my tank only silk. If floating plants are good for the gourami is that just for shade/cover or would it be something that "dangles" which might give a spot to hide? I've seen some artificial foam floating lotus leaves and yes even artificial duckweed.
Easy enough I'll just leave em off the list. Thank you sir, once again, for helping me to make an easy decision.Gourami spend their time at or close to the surface. They browse among floating plants/vegetation for food. They also use them to build bubble nests. Floating plants/vegetation is present in all gourami habitats. There is also of course the shade factor. I've not seen the artificial floating plants, but I would just say that it is not an aesthetic issue here, but a factor of their habitat that they expect and thus need. Back to that again.
Easy enough I'll just leave em off the list. Thank you sir, once again, for helping me to make an easy decision.
OK, you're welcome. I would say now that this is where the shade aspect of floating plants comes in, and the artificial may well serve the purpose. Forest fish do not appreciate overhead light. Over some 30 years of keeping fish I have noticed that the most colourful and active groups of shoaling fish are those with thick floating plant cover. When I thin out the floaters, the fish always react for several days by moving lower in the aquarium. It is no coincidence. Of course, with no live plants, you do have the benefit of having less intense light, and that will improve the health of the fish guaranteed.
I have an article on the effects of light, on the blog cited earlier.