Stocking advice for a 35 gallon tank

[Hermes]

Alright,well I hope I get some answers, but anyways.
I'm fairly new (Especially to this community), but it seems perfect for me!

I have a 25 gallon female Betta tank, along with a male tank (Single, of course) that are doing fine, but now I'd like to move onto something a little.. flashier (Not that Betta aren't flashy!).

I'm hoping to come into possesion of a 35 gallon soon - And with it I have the option of receiving 2 molly, 2 platy, a rainbow shark and some guppies.

I'm not a fan of guppies or platy (I loathe anything that looks like goldfish), but I am interested in the rainbow shark and the molly. I was thinking that I'd stock the tank as...

4 (total) molly, as I've heard they like to be in groups.
7~9 X-ray (Pristella Tetra)
1 Rainbow shark
A Male Betta
And a few ghost shrimp to help keep it clean (Or rock shrimp)

It DOES feel like I'm overstocking, but I absolutely must have the X-rays. Anyways, any pointers, suggestions, etc... Would be very welcome. =) Thanks!

[Quixotic]

Assuming that your tank is 35 US gallons, it is around 2.5 or 3 feet in length? Based on your list of fishes, you are not overstocking it, but it also depends on the type of filtration you use, or if it is a planted tank.

However, just a note on these fauna. The rainbow shark will eventually grow up to 6 inches in size, so 2.5 feet may be a little on the short side. The rock shrimps are filter feeding shrimps, so it won't work if if you are thinking of using them to clean up uneaten food.

[Hermes]

I plan on adding a few plants, yes.

Thanks for the info on the rainbow shark - I had no idea. Is it still a good choice early on to help get rid of uneaten food? Also, I hate to be a bother but what's it's general lifespan?

No, I would get ghost shrimp to eat the uneaten food, and just have the rock shrimp to help a little with water filtering, and with appearance. Are there any other (more colourful) shrimp breeds that would work well in this set up?

[Quixotic]

Well, if your tank is heavily planted (and growing well), then generally, you would be able to stock more fish. In any case, your stocking shouldn't be an issue.

The rainbow shark can be used to help with uneaten food, as can ghost shrimps. Rock shrimp should be fine in the setup, but do provide some hiding places for them.

Wikipedia mentions that rainbow sharks has an average life span of 4 to 6 years. However, there are other sources that is on the opposite scale and mention that they are able to live up to possibly 13 years. Well, I would put it in the middle and say, it could be anywhere between 5 to 10 years.

[Hermes]

Thanks a lot! That's really helpful. I'll get back to everyone once I get it set up.

[torque6]

Looking forward to some shots of your schooling fish.