You're right, in that the fish set the rules, and by that there are some that behave outside of the 'norm'.To me the fish set the rules. If the water is clean and the fish are not fighting....... don't see a problem. All these "rules" are made by another person. They are never infallible. Different tanks work differently for no apparent reason. I have way more fish then I'm supposed to. But water is clean and fish are happy. And no water changes or media other than carbon. So explain that...
The stocking and compatibility that I suggest is drawn from personal experiences. I am able to see a number of different tanks in acrion, that vary in size and stocking. In my experience, at a certain stocking level, or certain species in certain size tanks, it is more likely there will be a problem. Not 100%, but definitely more likely.
In nature they use signicantly more space than is provided in a 40g aquarium.Alright you got me, why?
