travie

I wanted to add some cories that stay small and are good in a community tank. Which kind out of these two should I add: Corydoras hastatus - Dwarf Corydoras or Corydoras habrosus - Dainty Corydoras? And what is the minimum number to keep them happy in a school? And another question is the Corydoras habrosus the same as a corydoras pygmaeus? Tanks specs can be seen in signature. Thanks.

Chief_waterchanger

The tank is already overstocked, in my opinion and does not need any more fish of any kind.

travie

If I didn't have the guppies but had 5 neon tetras, what would you suggest about the corydoras?

Butterfly

Welcome to fishLore Travie!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your tank is a bit over stocked. When stocking a tank you want to take into account the adult size of your fish.
Leopard Danios get about 2 inches each, 5 LD = 10 in.
Otocinclus get about 1-1/2 inch each, 3 Otos = 4 .5 in
Guppies get about 1-1/2 inch each, 5 guppies = 7.5 inches
Plus guppy fry. The others equal out about 22 inches of fish.
There is an old rule of stocking tanks called 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. Now this rule works if all the fish are shaped about the same (same body mass) and these are. You couldn't compare a chunky fish and a slender one and get this rule to work. Anyway this is why I said your tank is over stocked
I would not advise adding any more fish at this time.
I do see that you did your home work by having at least five of the danios(they are schooling fish), 3 of the otos and your ratio of males to female guppies is really good.
Any chance of a bigger tank?
Carol

travie

I won't be able to get a bigger tank at the present time. I didn't really want the guppies, but I got them for free. I wanted to get 5 neon tetras, I was sad because I knew I wouldn't be able to get them since I got the guppies. I never did like the the 1 inch of fish to 1 gallon rule. Thus I don't follow it completely, because its about how the fish deal with it and not the numbers.

Tayful

The inch of fish per gallon rule is still a good one, and if your fish are dealing with your overstocked tank right now I can assure you that they won't be for long. The more fish you have the less space and privacy each of them have, more often you have to do water changes, more chances of contracting diseases, and overall less happiness. I wouldn't even consider adding any more fish I were you and I'd think about getting another tank, even if it's another 10 gallon - as soon as you possibly can (it would be even better to get the biggest tank money and space permits, though).

And like Butterfly said, you did get a lot of the aspects right and you DID do your homework. But I wouldn't recommend adding anymore fish because you're crowded enough as is. Good luck

Butterfly

No it's not about numbers, it's about how much waste fish produce and fish of approx the same size and shape produce approx the same amount of waste.
When a tank is over stocked the fish are producing more waste than the beneficial bacteria can handle. The crowding affects how your fish grow and how they interact with other fish.
I do wish you good luck and if you need anything please let us know.
Carol

travie

I need to get rid of some guppies. If I were to get another tank setup, and put all my guppies into that tank, would it be feasible to put 3 Corydoras hastatus - Dwarf Corydoras or Corydoras habrosus - Dainty Corydoras in with my leopard danios and otocinclus?

armadillo

Hi Travie. I don't know anything about danios, but it would be fine with the otos, definitely. Didn't look at your inch per gallon number, though, so am purely answering from a species compatibility perspective.

jsalemi

Danios get along fine with otos and corys.

travie

My goal is to have 5 danios, 5 neon tetras, 3 otos, and 3 cories. I know this configuration breaks the 1 in to a gallon rule, but the 3 otos and the 3 cories wouldn't produce that much waste.

jsalemi

Just make sure you have a good filter, and be prepared to test the water and do 25% water changes every couple of days, since you seem bound and determined to ignore the advice you're getting about not overstocking your tank.

travie

I'm not ignoring the advice. Its just the 1 in to 1 gallon seems more of a guideline. Under that rule, I could only have 5 danios in my 10g tank. I'm not going to put anymore fish in my tank under present conditions.

jsalemi

Yes, and like all guidelines, it can be broken if you take precautions. I had 5 danios, 3 corys and 2 otos in my 10g at one time, and it did take a good bio-filter (I upgraded to a Penguin) and frequent water changes to keep it stable. And it was for quite some time, until the heater failed while I was away, and 4 of the 5 danios and one of the otos died, and the nitrates went through the roof from the decaying bodies. Took quite a lot of work to recover from that, and now I keep the tank very close to the recommended stocking level.

So you could add some otos and corys to the danios or the neons, but not both, is what I'm saying, I guess.

travie

Its all because of the guppies. I'm convinced they are best in a two species only tank and the other species being loach or catfish. I didn't want them, but they were free from family members. They are in a much better tank now then when I got them.