Corydoras Fish Compatibility

[KyleH77]

Hi guys and gals,
I currently have a 20g fish tank will 2 peppered and 1 albino Corydoras, and I would like to get more fish. I am looking for 2 different kinds of fish. The first one being a peaceful schooling type fish, and the other being a peaceful centerpiece to the tank. I have had a dwarf gourami and neon tetras before and had a lot of trouble with both of them so preferably neither of those. Anyone have a suggestion? Also I need to be able to get the fish at either petsmart or petco.

 

[Upstate TBarbs]

Hello and welcome!

First, what are you using for filtration?

Corydoras prefer to be in groups of 5 or more, so I would recommend adding some. Perhaps another Albino and a couple of Panda Corys.

I might be biased, but Tiger Barbs have a nice color variety and are a schooling fish. When kept in a group of 6 or more they will usually leave other fish alone. Only potential problem I could see is if your Peppered Corys are the Hi Fin type.

I have 18 Tiger Barbs in a tank with my Panda Corys and Otos and have had no problems. So perhaps for your tank, add 3 Albino Tigers, 3 Green Tigers, and 3 Regular Tigers.

Assuming you are using a filter something like an Aquaclear 50 there should be no problems. Just do water changes of 25-40% (5-8 gallons) each week.

 

[KyleH77]

Hi Upstate TBarbs,
I am not entirely sure what filtration system I have, but it came with my 20g tank. I think it was the Topfin essentials kit from Petsmart or something like that, so I got the heater, filter, and tank all at once. Would having 6 barbs and 6 cory cats be to much of a bioload?

 

[Upstate TBarbs]

Ok, I was thinking 20 gallon long, but the kit is probably a 20 gallon high. That will change some things.

>>> Click Here to see a possible configuration with fish. <<<

This assumes the kit came with a Power Filter 30. If it came with a 20, then it would definitely be too much of a bioload with 6 corys and 6 tigers.

 

[KyleH77]

My tank dimensions are 24 L x 12 W x 16 H I think. Also my filter is a Top Fin Slipstream 20 I believe. Any other fish suggestions then?

 

[Upstate TBarbs]

My honest suggestion would be to dump all the Topfin electronic devices. An Aquaclear 30 would be good, an Aquaclear 50 would be great for that tank, as would an Eheim Jager 100 watt heater. I'm not a big fan of the Topfin heaters because the one I bought 2 weeks ago to use in my water change bucket died on me. After reading the reviews, I saw this was a common problem.

 

[eternal_irony]

I've got a school of copper harlequin tetra in with my cories. Their colours are really bright so they make a good contrast and they're really active so fun to watch.
I agree with changing the electronics that came with the tank though they aren't usually the best quality.

 

[4thgradescience]

We love our panda corys in our community tank. They are smaller in size than most of other corys. I thought they were kinda boring in color when my family picked them out but I have really come to love them!