Lots of issues in this thread, so bear with me smallfry.
First on the fish list. I strongly suggest you omit the
Serpae Tetra. If you read the fish profile you will note they frequently have aggressive behaviours and this can be lessened by a larger group, 8 at the absolute minimum. But even so, depending upon the particular fish, they can be trouble. I know some will say they have a group of 5 or 6 or whatever with no trouble; well, they are lucky, because not everyone has such luck with this fish. The profile description explains why.
Other that this, your fish list is fine; except I would increase the hatchetfish and corys. Hatchets do much better in larger groups, you could have 9-12 which would be much better. And Corydoras would be better in a group of five if one species, or if you decide on more than one species, 3-5 of each would do. The more the better for them too.
I trust you realize that this is looking weeks and months down the road, not all at once--if you intend a soil substrate. I won't step into that discussion, just a caution. As some members in that thread have already found out, there are issues to deal with. The experts I know in other plant forums usually recommend waiting 4 months before any fish go in; the soil has to settle and there can be significant water stability issues. Many first-time planted aquarists bite off more than they can chew and give up in despair; I wouldn't want to see this happen to you.
As for South American plants, the plants in my two Amazonian setups are listed in the text for each aquarium. They are mostly sword plants (Echinodorus species) as they are in my view some of the finest of aquarium plants--relative easy, hardy, and distinctive, with very little if any maintenance. Many of the species I have are in our plant profiles [these are with the fish profiles, second tab from the left in the blue bar] with photos.
Bolivian Rams: These are quite peaceful for a cichlid, and one of the best for community tanks. I have a pair in my 115g. They do get a bit feisty when spawning, but not to the same extent as so many of the cichlids. They remain very close to the substrate though, so they are rarely if ever in mid-water and never in the upper level, even to feed; they feed off the substrate, from sinking foods, except for live foods or frozen bloodworms.
Lighting: this depends upon what fixture you have with the tank. If it is fluorescent, a daylight/ full spectrum tube will work fine. If the fixture is incandescent, compact fluorescent screw-in bulbs will work fine. We can go more into these when we know the fixture type.
Last (for now), re the water parameters. Except for the
Ember Tetra the fish you have should be OK in a slightly basic pH (low 7's) as most of them will be tank-raised fish. The Embers will likely be wild caught. Your tank pH may lower naturally, depending upon the hardness of your tap water; do you know the GH and KH? Your water supply board can tell you this. Then we can discuss what you might expect. Also ensure there is nothing calcareous in the tank (rock or gravel such as limestone, marble, lava, dolomite, or crushed coral).
Byron.
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