Cory Catfish Questions

[AgeusBMXFishguy]

Hi!
I have been working on re-doing my ten gallon tank this last week in preparation of new corys! I gave it new sand, because the old substrate looked nasty. (I seeded the new stuff with sand from another one of my tanks) I also put in a few new plants and a piece of driftwood. I kept the same filter, so it still has bacteria in it.

Anyways, I was wondering if you all had any feedback on what to change. (Is there enough space for them). I was thinking of either getting Venezuelan Corys or Panda Corys. Is there a difference between max size? Temperment? Hardiness? Or are they the same fish with a different paint job? The current tankmates are 3 Mystery snails.

How many of these could I fit in a ten gallon, or is ten gallons too small? I don't know much about catfish, so any insight is appreciated!

And don't worry! I'll test the parameters for any toxins and make sure the new sand is doing good before stocking this tank with corys.

Thank You!

 

[Noroomforshoe]

venazeulian cories get to 2,5 inches, pandas get to 2 inches. they are not the same species with differnt colors.

I do not recomend either fish for a ten gallon tank, I beleive that both species get too large.

Please consider pygmy cories / Corydoras pygmaeus. or another species Venezomial Pygmy Cory (Corydoras habrosus) or (Corydoras hastatus),you could add 8 of one of these small species to a well planted ten gallon if you keep up with the tank maintenence.

Catfish live in the dirtiest part of the tank, and its very difficult to judge how much to feed bottom feeders if you ask me. They can be tough fish, but keep those facts in mind. Planted tanks are great. but you still need to keep an eye on the nitrates . Also that is a lot of snail for a ten gallon.

 

[SteelersChris]

I also wouldn’t recommend either for a 10 gallon, and agree with noroomforshoe on the Pygmy Corydoras. I’ve never kept them and always had larger specifies like bronze, juli and peppered corydoras. I’d imagine the Pygmy’s wouldn’t be very different in terms of care and behavior though. Sand substrate, plants and places to hide and they’ll feel comfortable and be out front most of the time. Mine enjoy krill/spirulina flakes and algae wafers and have recently been spawning. Good luck with the new set up!

 

[AgeusBMXFishguy]

venazeulian cories get to 2,5 inches, pandas get to 2 inches. they are not the same species with differnt colors.

I do not recomend either fish for a ten gallon tank, I beleive that both species get too large.

Please consider pygmy cories / Corydoras pygmaeus. or another species Venezomial Pygmy Cory (Corydoras habrosus) or (Corydoras hastatus),you could add 8 of one of these small species to a well planted ten gallon if you keep up with the tank maintenence.

Catfish live in the dirtiest part of the tank, and its very difficult to judge how much to feed bottom feeders if you ask me. They can be tough fish, but keep those facts in mind. Planted tanks are great. but you still need to keep an eye on the nitrates . Also that is a lot of snail for a ten gallon.

I also wouldn’t recommend either for a 10 gallon, and agree with noroomforshoe on the Pygmy Corydoras. I’ve never kept them and always had larger specifies like bronze, juli and peppered corydoras. I’d imagine the Pygmy’s wouldn’t be very different in terms of care and behavior though. Sand substrate, plants and places to hide and they’ll feel comfortable and be out front most of the time. Mine enjoy krill/spirulina flakes and algae wafers and have recently been spawning. Good luck with the new set up!

Oh, ok. I also have a 20 Gallon tank that has a bunch of Mollies in it. The Corys at the pet store are about an inch long, so not full grown yet. Could I keep them in the 10 Gallon temporarily (To make sure there is no disease to infect my established 20 Gallon). If I were to go the pygmy cory route, would ~7 be appropriate? Also, when you say 10 Gallons is too small, is that because of size or bioload?
Thanks for your time!

 

[Noroomforshoe]

Yes a 10 gallon is a good size quarantine tank!
Yes a school of 7 cories is fine.

10 gallons is too small for because the size is iffy. a to gallon is 20 inches long, and a 20 gallon long is 30 inches long. it can hold more hide outs and more plants and more clean water.

Bio load wise, a larger tank is easier to clean, easier to keep clean, easier to plant a lot of plants, safer to feed messy bottom feeding fishfood, safer to accidently forget a cleaning, safer to leave for awhile while on vacation, safer for bottom feeding fish that live in the messiest part of the tank.

 

[SteelersChris]

Cory’s enjoy exploring and shoaling about the bottom of the tank so footprint is more important to them than gallons. The smaller 10x20 bottom gives them much less surface area to roam and be happy. When you cram too many in a small space they just huddle together and don’t show their playful nature. And you’ll deffinately want a group so 1-2 in a 10 gallon wouldn’t be ideal as they are community fish and like to shoal.

I’d also recommend getting one species instead of one of several kinds. They don’t always shoal together as well.

 

[AgeusBMXFishguy]

Yes a 10 gallon is a good size quarantine tank!
Yes a school of 7 cories is fine.

10 gallons is too small for because the size is iffy. a to gallon is 20 inches long, and a 20 gallon long is 30 inches long. it can hold more hide outs and more plants and more clean water.

Bio load wise, a larger tank is easier to clean, easier to keep clean, easier to plant a lot of plants, safer to feed messy bottom feeding fishfood, safer to accidently forget a cleaning, safer to leave for awhile while on vacation, safer for bottom feeding fish that live in the messiest part of the tank.

Sounds Good! In my 20 gallon right now I have 4 adult mollies and 9 babies/juveniles. I will QT the Venezuelan Cories in the ten gallon for a month or two before putting them in the 20 Gallon and moving the 9 babies into the 10 gallon. The 3 mystery snails will probably move to the 20 long as well.