20 Gallon Tank Pandas or Pygmys

Hello, I have a 20g long that is going to have 4 male Honey Gouramis in it. I'm curious which species of Cory would be best for the tank with this stocking. Panda Corys or Pygmy Corys? I'd like to do a group of 16. I'm leaning towards Pygmy Corys, but I love the appearance of Panda Corys, so please let me know. Thanks for the help!

 

I know 16 should be no problem with the pygmies, not sure on the pandas.

 

I know 16 should be no problem with the pygmies, not sure on the pandas.

Ok, I think I'll go with the Pygmys, then. Thanks!

 

With a large tank, I would get the pandas because they will show better. What color is your substrate?

 

With a large tank, I would get the pandas because they will show better. What color is your substrate?

The tank has black gravel.

 

The tank has black gravel.

Pygmies might not show as much as the pandas because of their size and color so you won't enjoy them as much. Pandas are active and will look really good in a 20 gallon tank. Gravel isn't the best for corydoras though.

 

Pygmies might not show as much as the pandas because of their size and color so you won't enjoy them as much. Pandas are active and will look really good in a 20 gallon tank. Gravel isn't the best for corydoras though.

When I started the tank, I wasn't planning on adding Corys. The bottom layer of gravel is a planted substrate and the top is plain stuff. I may take out the top layer of gravel and put a 20lb bag of sand over the planted substrate instead. I did that in my 55g and it's worked really well. If I did go with Pandas, how many would you suggest?

 

When I started the tank, I wasn't planning on adding Corys. The bottom layer of gravel is a planted substrate and the top is plain stuff. I may take out the top layer of gravel and put a 20lb bag of sand over the planted substrate instead. I did that in my 55g and it's worked really well. If I did go with Pandas, how many would you suggest?

For panda corydoras, you could do probably 8-12. For pygmy corydoras, probably 10-16. I like to slightly overstock a tank.

 

I'd go for 12 Pandas. Pygmaeus will be in midwater, Pandas are bottomdwellers.

 

Whats wrong with doing 8 of each

 

Would it be fine to do 5 Honey Gouramis (all male) and 10 Panda Corys?

 

I know 16 should be no problem with the pygmies, not sure on the pandas.

I agree. You could definitely have 16 pygmies but only 8-10 pandas maximum

Would it be fine to do 5 Honey Gouramis (all male) and 10 Panda Corys?

I’d say no because you need to have a lot of cover for the males to break lines of sight and I’d say 8 pandas would do better in that scenario

When I started the tank, I wasn't planning on adding Corys. The bottom layer of gravel is a planted substrate and the top is plain stuff. I may take out the top layer of gravel and put a 20lb bag of sand over the planted substrate instead. I did that in my 55g and it's worked really well. If I did go with Pandas, how many would you suggest?

6-8