10 gallon stocking neons amanos pigmy corydoras

[Belshrimp]

Hi guys,

I have 10 gallon with customized hang on back filter (sponges, filter floss, bio rings and some purifier stuffed in there).
It's mostly planted with hornworths and 4 Amazon blades.
Have 4 Amano Shrimps, 9 neon Tertras and 2 horned nerite Snails in already.
I would like to add some catfish to clean the substrate (gravel). As I have quite some uneaten fod falling where I can gravelvac.
I was thinking about some pigmy corydoras.
Looking for advice. Thank you

 

[PurpleReign19]

Hi guys,

I have 10 gallon with customized hang on back filter (sponges, filter floss, bio rings and some purifier stuffed in there).
It's mostly planted with hornworths and 4 Amazon blades.
Have 4 Amano Shrimps, 9 neon Tertras and 2 horned nerite Snails in already.
I would like to add some catfish to clean the substrate (gravel). As I have quite some uneaten fod falling where I can gravelvac.
I was thinking about some pigmy corydoras.
Looking for advice. Thank you

Pygmys tend to stay in the middle layer of the water column and arent bottom feeders as much as their relatives. They are still great little fish that are a ton of fun to watch! There may be another type of catfish that is strictly bottom feeding but I am not sure. I have never kept pygmys myself so I cant tell you whether they would help clean your gravel or not. Hopefully someone more experienced can chime in! Good luck By the way, awesome looking tank!

 

[Jojo205]

Your tank sounds fully stocked to me, neons in a 10 gallon is pushing it (i think lol - i’m not a tetra expert). I would feed less so there isn’t extra food on the bottom at all.

 

[Megaanemp]

I think your tank is pretty full. However, if the neons don’t seem to feel stressed or cramped I don’t think it would be impossible to add 7-8 Pygmy Corys. They do need to be kept in a slightly bigger group than other Corys as they can be quite shy.

If you did add them you would likely need to monitor water parameters more closely and up the water changes. Live plants could help soak up excess nutrients. You may also need to upgrade your filtration system.

I currently happen to have a school of 11 neon tetras and a school of 13 Pygmy Corys in my 20 gallon quarantine. The Pygmy Corys stay on the bottom 2 thirds of the day and spend the rest swimming about with the neons. The two groups even seem to sort of play together in the bubbles from the sponge filter.

However, I have noticed that the pygmys being shy take longer to come out to eat because they don’t want to be pushed around by the neons. So I’ve actually had to really over feed the tank to make sure the pygmy corys can get enough to eat and the neons frantically search the bottom for any crumbs. This has resulted in some pretty chunky tetras lol! Fortunately each school is destined for different display tanks! The neons also have a bit of a temper and seem to like space to separate from the others including the very gentle Corys.

So, I think it’s possible that you could add them, but I’d watch out for the neons getting nippy if they feel like their space is being too crowded and I’m unsure if the Corys will solve the extra food problem. You would also very likely need to do more frequent and larger water changes. Maybe a couple 50% water changes a week. I think in this situation I’d personally add a mystery snail instead of the Corys to help with the extra food. I got my first one a week ago and I’m surprised at how entertaining he is! He's actually pretty goofy and so far the most active snail I’ve had in a tank. They come in some really cool colours too.

 

[Belshrimp]

Thank you all for the comments and ideas. I've upgraded the filter in a way that it's able to filter much more, well in my opinion, than the size and stocking I have in there. Water is super clear and zero ammonia, 0 to 10 nitrates, 0 nitrite...
Thats why I thought I could add more.
My plants are showing need for nutrients. So I'm adding some Flourish after water changes once a week now.

 

[Megaanemp]

Thank you all for the comments and ideas. I've upgraded the filter in a way that it's able to filter much more, well in my opinion, than the size and stocking I have in there. Water is super clear and zero ammonia, 0 to 10 nitrates, 0 nitrite...
Thats why I thought I could add more.
My plants are showing need for nutrients. So I'm adding some Flourish after water changes once a week now.

Thats great! Sounds like you do have some more wiggle room for stock as long as the fish don’t feel cramped

 

[Belshrimp]

Thats great! Sounds like you do have some more wiggle room for stock as long as the fish don’t feel cramped

Thats what I'm thinking. I'll redo the setup tommorow and will see how the behave. If they are all cool I might put in few more bottom dwellers.