Pygmy Cory questions

[JuiceKong]

I am considering adding pygmy corys to my twenty gallon with sparkling gourami in it. I was planning on adding six corys. My question is how much do pygmy corys sift around and stir up the bottom? I have kept larger corys before in a tank with botanicals(same as the current tank), and the decomposing materials would get really stirred into the water by them. I don't really want the same situation again. Also any tank mate recommendations for a heavily planted twenty gal with sparkling gourami, shrimp, and possibly pygmy corys?

 

[TClare]

I am considering adding pygmy corys to my twenty gallon with sparkling gourami in it. I was planning on adding six corys. My question is how much do pygmy corys sift around and stir up the bottom? I have kept larger corys before in a tank with botanicals(same as the current tank), and the decomposing materials would get really stirred into the water by them. I don't really want the same situation again. Also any tank mate recommendations for a heavily planted twenty gal with sparkling gourami, shrimp, and possibly pygmy corys?

Pygmy cories do not stir up the bottom, they mostly stay in the middle levels and like to rest on twigs and branches.

 

[EmpressCat]

Yes I agree the Pygmy cories are middle swimmers. Occasionally they will lay on bottom but mostly to eat any algae that may be on the substrate.

 

[flannelfishguy]

My pygmy corys might be unique, but they do spend a bit of time scavenging on the bottom of the tank! Most of the time though they are resting on the bottom to middle of the tank, and sometimes the whole little school of them will swim around in the middle(ish) of the tank.

That being said... they mostly just eat without really stirring anything up! I like to watch them swim around and eat, and I've never seen the substrate being moved around very much... they're pretty small fish haha. I also haven't noticed very much decomposing material being disturbed and getting into the water, and honestly I think that when it does happen, the snails are to blame for most of it.

 

[chromedome52]

Actually, Hoplisoma habrosum, formerly known as Corydoras habrosus, is a pygmy species that does stay on the bottom a lot like normal Corys. There are also some less common species that tend to be very small, such as H. cochui. Cory as a common name still applies, as these new genera are still in subfamily Corydoradinae. I still haven't parsed out all the recent changes in Genus names, had to check Planetcatfish. Always a good place to look for up to date info.

 

[Blaiseorange]

My pygmy corys rarely touch the bottom of my tank. They are more often lounging on the anubias leaves in my tank. These are in a tank with both neon and ember tetras, a female betta, and a colony of red rili shrimp. They don't seem to be bothered at all by the betta and she acts the most like my sparkling gouramis in a different tank (panda corys , sparkling gourami, and neocaridina skittles colony). Honestly, even if my pygmys do venture to the bottom, they are so small they don't really do anything to my sand substrate.

 

[Fishfur]

My pygmy corys rarely touch the bottom of my tank. They are more often lounging on the anubias leaves in my tank. These are in a tank with both neon and ember tetras, a female betta, and a colony of red rili shrimp. They don't seem to be bothered at all by the betta and she acts the most like my sparkling gouramis in a different tank (panda corys , sparkling gourami, and neocaridina skittles colony). Honestly, even if my pygmys do venture to the bottom, they are so small they don't really do anything to my sand substrate.

Pygmy Cories are not bottom dwellers - unlike so many of the little catfish. This is perfectly normal for them.

 

[chromedome52]

To be precise, your Pygmy appears to be Gastrodermus pygmaeus, formerly Corydoras pygmaeus. This is one of the small species that prefers to stay off the substrate. I don't know if this applies to the entire new genus, but it certainly is true for this species and Gastrodermus hastatus. These two are the best known Pygmy Cories. The third most popular is the H. habrosum, from a different genus, and which does sit on the substrate. Other Dwarf species are rare, so the information is usually minimal.