Fish Compatibility New Tank

[eaglesaquarium]

Did not realize the blood parrots were treated so inhumanely.. Definitely not getting those! My list of fish is dwindling to nothing... haha 
 
There's plenty of fish in the sea (so to speak)... when one species is knocked out for one reason, another suitable species is usually readily available to fill the void.
 
 
 
I'll read your instructions for cycling -- It seems every where I look there are different opinions to fishless cycling and compatibility with fish species.. Its so hard to finalize a list of fish. 
 
Re: different opinions on fishless cycling...
 
A lot of this comes as a result of different stages of understanding in the science.  In the old days, no one knew that fishless cycling was possible, and only fish-in cycles were conducted.  Then, as the knowledge base grew to understand the entire nitrogen cycle more thoroughly, fishless cycling became more popular.  But, as the knowledge base of the bacteria grows, methods need to be updated.  I'll tell you that our method for fishless cycling is one of the very best available on the web.  The goal is to maximize bacteria growth while minimizing duration of waiting.  If you follow those directions, you'll be cycled as fast as one could possibly expect, short of cloning a colony from an established tank.
 
 
Re: opinions on fish compatability...
There are a multitude of 'sources' out there that will claim to know what to do.  A lot of them are based on anecdotal experience of novice fish keepers.  The truth is that the recommendations above are based on the science behind the needs of the individual species and their behavior.  Sites like seriouslyfish.com offer specific information about the water parameter needs, spacial needs, and to a lesser extent their behavior with other species.  Its a good resource to double check the recommendations given here.

 
 
You have soft acidic water (which will likely take a bit longer to cycle), but there is a wealth of fish available to you.  Generally, any fish from South American and most Asian species will be very 'happy' in that type of water.  
 
Looking at your list of fish, you are interested in some 'large' and some 'small' shoaling fish.  This is a challenge, but can be accomplished.  The key is to match big fish with small fish that won't be seen as lunch (or breakfast or dinner... or midnight snack, depending on the time of day, of course).
 
 
"Big" fish that I'd recommend:  

• Keyhole cichlid (very shy and almost skittish, this 5" fish isn't likely to pick a fight with other species, nor to eat its smaller tankmates.)
• Bolivian Ram (Territorial with its own kind, but generally shares the bottom of the tank with cories, etc. approx 3" adult size)
• German Blue Ram (More sensitive than the bolivian, requiring higher temps, but a bit more colorful - approx. 3" adult size)
• Apistogramma Species (Extremely colorful, growing to roughly 2.5-3"... best kept 1m-3/4f... Bit expensive)
• Pearl Gourami (Just about as beautiful a fish as you will find amongst the freshies.  Mine are a bit pushy at mealtimes, but generally very peaceful the rest of the time.  Roughly 4-5")
• BN Pleco (Already on your list - provide them a 'cave' and some wood and they will be quite happy... males become more reclusive as they mature)

 
Small fish that I'd say can work with these fish:
Nearly any that tolerate soft, acidic water.  Tetras, Rasboras, Corydoras, etc.
 
The key is to make sure that these smaller fish aren't nippy with the gourami's ventral fins, for example.  But, kept in proper numbers, these smaller fish don't usually cause trouble.  
 
Fish like Trigostigma species (heteromorpha, espei or hengeli) are about as peaceful as fish come.  The espei or hengeli would be a nice substitute for the celestial pearl danios you originally listed.  A large group of these is best, as with any smaller shoaling fish... safety in numbers!
 
For active groups of fish like the zebra danios, rummynose tetras, bloodfin tetras are about as active as you'll get and are great shoalers, so they will zoom around together more than some others that will loosen up their groups as they get more and more comfortable in the tank.
 
 
If this were my tank, I'd likely go with:

• A pair of Pearl gourami
• 1 Bolivian Ram
• 1 BN Pleco
• 13 T. espei or hengeli  (just like the odd numbers better, if superstitious go with 15!)
• 13 bloodfin tetras
• 11 corydoras species of some type
• Shrimp or snails as well.  (The one concern is with this water, there would be a minimal amount of calcium available for the shrimp and snails for their exoskeletons/shells... so feeding them an algae pellet or veggie stick that has calcium in it would be helpful).