Can I add more fish to my 20 high?

[Fishman36]

Hi everyone this is my first post on the site. I have a 20 gallon tank with a koi plakat betta, 3 gold rams, 6 celestial pearl danios, a bristlenose pleco, 3 schwartz cories, and a handful of amano shrimp. I’m looking to see if there is anything else I can add or if anyone would have suggestions. Thank you so much and looking forward to hearing back!

I would love a gourami of some sort but I’m guessing that would take my tank beyond its limits.

 

[JaredShope1]

I think you’re about at your max. You could potentially fit a Neon or Fire Dwarf gourami though, or a honey Gourami because all these fish are very small. They’d make a good centerpiece though too

 

[Barliman]

Yeah, I think you're pretty close to the limit. I'd be a bit wary of adding a gourami: both being anabantoids, they compete for the same space, such as places to build a bubble nest. I'd be afraid the betta would bully a honey.

On the other hand, you might consider 2-3 more Schwartz corys: they're happiest in groups of five or more, and you'll see more interesting behavior.

 

[Fishman36]

Oh that’s an interesting thought. What kind of behavior would I notice if I added more cories?

 

[Barliman]

Oh that’s an interesting thought. What kind of behavior would I notice if I added more cories?

They'll feel more secure, so should be more active and less prone to hiding. They'll move in small groups, too, which can be entertaining. And with six, if fed well and with clean water, they might well lay eggs, rewarding you with babies.

 

[Fishman36]

I ended up getting 3 more corys so they could have a bigger school. They haven’t schooled up yet and seem to be doing their own thing.

 

[libertybelle]

In my experience cories are intermittent schoolers. They’ll go about doing their own thing then get together and sail around together for a bit then go back to doing their own thing. It’s super fun to watch when they all do come together. Even if they’re not stuck together like glue it seems to make them more comfortable when more of their own kind are around so they hide less.

I have Pygmy cories at present and I wish I had more! I started out with a dozen but they were from a big box store which kept them in ... non ideal condition. I lost half of them over the first few days. The six who remain are so much fun but they are so much more shy then they were the first couple days when they were in a bigger group.