Some lovely plants you have in there! VERY cool about the seed pods - those plants will be enough to fill up the tank (35 OR 55) in no time if they keep going like this! I think it's just amazing that you're able to bring home local plants to use in your tank. Wish we had anything growing around here like that. I'll have to see if I can find anything in the summer months, but for right now, everything is frozen and deadish, lol.
To answer your question from before, a standard 55g tank is 48" x 13" x 21" and a standard 75g tank is 48" x 18" x 21" (L,W,H) so with the 75g, you get pretty much the same footprint with those extra 5 inches front to back. It really makes a world of difference when it comes to planting/scaping, plus an extra 20gallons of water never hurt anyone
But whatever! I didn't realize you were talking about an entire setup - plants and everything included. In THAT case, get what you can!
Any word on if/when that'll be happening? It's *almost* as shame - you only just got this one going, but bigger is ALWAYS better, neh???
Any updates on the Pearls today? I'm glad you chose to keep both the male and the female, hoping that no problems arise between them, and that things remain peaceful. I've also never heard of keeping several different types of gourami together as any kind of 'rule' but. . . I've never really looked into it, either. I fell in love with the Pearls right off, and they really will fit in with the look of my tank, and will make the perfect 'centerpiece' fish whenever I get there, so I'm kind of set on those. Honey's are super sweet, though - and gorgeous. I've never heard anyone complain about them being snarky or aggressive in the least, so if the Pearls don't end up working out, I think you're right in your thinking that the HG would be a good place to start looking!
YOU may not see it yet, but *I* think your tank is shaping up wonderfully! It's going to be a stunner when it all fills in and settles down! I also agree with you about the black sand - it doesn't really bother me when it gets dirty, because I LIKE knowing where my filtration is lacking, and where to concentrate my cleanup efforts! I guess it doesn't LOOK as good, but I think it's healthier all-around for the fishies that live there
Keep up the good work - and the posting! I suck at updating... got a little loachling update up today, tho. Three cheers!