Tank plans/ideas

I currently have:

• A 1.2m (120x45x45) tank that's housing my goldfish (250L / 55g);
• A 60cm (60x32.5x32.5 give or take) that's my planted tank. This houses 23 neon tetra, 5 Sunkist shrimp (neos), 1 SAE, 4 small nerites, and a bunch of ramshorn and bladder snails. I will also be adding 9 ghost shrimp into the mix later this week. (65L / 17g)
• A 45cm tank (45x21.5x30) which is currently quarantining my ghost shrimp. (around 30L / 8g)

I would like to custom build an almost-cube tank. 60cm long, 45 wide, and around 45 high. It would hold around 120L / 30g.
This would then replace both my 60 & 45cm tanks.
I also need to move my goldfish out into a pond but still working on that as well.

The almost-cube would be a planted tank along the same lines as my current 60cm.

Now my ideas regarding stocking options are causing conflicts in my head.

I'm generally not one to rehome my fish (or animals) just because I've changed my mind about them. I tend to need a really good reason before doing so. Which means I need to slot the fish I currently have into the new tanks.

I feel like I'm missing a focus fish in my planted tank, and the stocking options I think of for the big tank also need a focus fish.
I really like the look of rams, especially the German blue rams (but open to other options), and think a pair of them might make a really nice focus fish in the almost-cube. Or otherwise a pair of apistos. But I think I prefer the rams.
And for the big tank I think an angel fish would be an amazing focus fish. I would likely keep just one as I believe they can turn nasty if they pair up.

But rams apparently need higher Temps than the neons like (although all my tanks have been running around 27-28C all summer purely dictated by room temperature), and an angel would likely eat the neons.

Rams can apparently go with angels, but then that's 2 focus fish in the same tank and Im still missing something for the cube.

I think rams also can't go with shrimp which maybe also cuts them out of the cube even further as the neos and ghosts will likely stay in that tank because the bigger tank would have bigger fish which would likely eat them.
I think rams in the big tank would be too small to be a focus fish.

I love the look of our smallest adult goldfish in that tank. She's yellow, and just a perfect size for the tank. So I'm thinking maybe mollies and/or platties as goldfish look-alikes for that tank (look similar to goldies but won't grow huge), but mollies seem to need a much higher pH to all the other fish I look at. So I'll likely just stick with platties, even though in reality they're probably half the size of the goldfish I'm trying to replicate.

So for the 1.2 tank platties would be the kind of "all over" fish (dither fish???).
One angel maybe the focus fish (still undecided but the size and shape works well in my head).
And then some corries for the bottom.
I would like a schooling fish as well. But I think espei's would likely also get eaten? Not sure. Maybe bigger tetras? But I think they can be fin nippers so maybe not the best idea with an angel. Large danios? I need to Google rainbow fish and cherry barbs as well still.
And then the SAE would likely move over to that tank too.
I would have liked some ottos in there as well but they might also get eaten, so might rather put them in the cube.
Maybe a pleco (small type)? I need to Google them more.

So then the neons have to stay in the cube, with the shrimp, which means no rams. But I will add some corries. Maybe just pygmys, or maybe some peppers. And ottos. Or maybe no ottos. Still undecided. And then I still don't have a focus fish...

Anyway, this is what's going through my head at the moment.
None of it will happen immediately, it's just me plotting and planning.
First I need to figure out a pond for the goldies. Will leave those options for another post.

 

Noooo, low tech and easy.
Low maintenance would be nice too...

 

I am thinking planted, but the size does intimidate me.

 

Auto water change would be amaaazing but I don't think either hubby or myself are diy-minded enough to create something like that.
Plus I kind of enjoy doing water changes.

 

the thought did occur...
But nah, I like the sense of accomplishment afterwards if it actually turns out nicely.