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How Many Cory Catfish In A 10-Gallon Tank? Care Tips & Facts

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By Lindsey Stanton

two spotted cory catfish in sandy rocks

Cory Catfish are popular and for good reason. They do not grow too large, they are quite peaceful, and they generally do fine with other tank mates. They are not expensive to purchase, nor are they very difficult to care for either.

With that said, how many Cory Catfish you can fit in a 10-gallon tank, and how much space they need in general, is something you need to know, along with some other facts.

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Cory Catfish Tank Size

Generally speaking, Cory Catfish require a minimum of 10 gallons of tank volume to live, but there is a bit more to it than that, so let’s get to it right now.

Types of Cory Catfish

The first thing that you should probably know about the Cory catfish is that there are actually seven different species that you can have in your home aquarium. Let’s just go over each of the species, as it will make a difference in terms of tank size, at least for some of them.

So, what are the seven different types of Cory catfish that you can get?

  1. Bandit Cory Catfish
  2. Bronze Cory Catfish
  3. Julii Cory Catfish
  4. Panda Cory Catfish
  5. Pepper Cory Catfish
  6. Skunk Cory Catfish
  7. Three Stripe Cory Catfish
cory catfish
Image Credit: Agamerswife, Pixabay

Cory Catfish – Tank Size & Conditions

When you get any pet fish, whether a Cory catfish or otherwise, it is very important to provide them with lots of room. Now, something that we do want to mention here is that there is a difference between the recommended tank size for fish and the minimum required tank size.

We are going to talk about all seven of the species of Cory catfish here, what their minimum tank size needs to be, and what the recommended tank size is.

The difference is of course that the minimum tank size is the very smallest amount of room they need to live, whereas the recommended tank size is what is truly ideal for the various types of Cory catfish to be happy and healthy.

1. Bandit Cory Catfish

This type of Cory Catfish can grow to 2 inches or 5 cm in length. It requires a minimum tank size of 10 gallons, with the recommended size being closer to 15 gallons.

They require the water temperature to be between 72 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit, with a pH level between 6.5 and 7, and a water hardness level between 5 and 10 dGH.


2. Bronze Cory Catfish

This type of Cory Catfish can grow to 2.5 inches or 6 cm in length. It requires a minimum tank size of 10 gallons of well, but the ideal tank size is going to be between 15 and 17.5 gallons.

They require the water temperature to be between 72 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit, with a pH level between 5.8 and 7.0, and a water hardness level between 2 and 30 dGH.


3. Julii Cory Catfish

This type of Cory Catfish can grow to 2.5 inches or 6 cm in length and has a minimum required tank size of 10 gallons. However, the ideal tank size here for the best life is between 15 and 17.5 gallons.

They require the water temperature to be between 73 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit, with a pH level between 6.5 and 7.8, with a water hardness level between 2 and 20 dGH.


4. Panda Cory Catfish

This type of Cory Catfish will grow to about 2 inches or 5 cm in length. The minimum tank size for these guys is 10 gallons, with the ideal tank size being closer to 15 gallons.

They require the water to be between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit, with a pH level between 6.0 and 7.0, with a water hardness level between 2 and 12 dGH.


5. Pepper Cory Catfish

The Pepper Cory is a slightly larger species, with the females growing up to 3.5 inches or 7 cm in length. They require a minimum tank size of 15 gallons, but the ideal tank size for the best life is going to be closer to 20 gallons.

They require the water to be between 72 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit, with a pH level ranging from 6.0 to 7.0, and a water hardness level ranging from 2 to 12 dGH.


6. Skunk Cory Catfish

This type of Cory Catfish will grow to around 2 inches or 5 cm in length. It requires a minimum tank size of 10 gallons, with the ideal tank size being around 15 gallons.

They require the water temperature to be between 72 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit, with a pH level between 6.8 and 7.5, with a water hardness level between 2 and 25 dGH.


7. Three Stripe Cory Catfish

This type of Cory Catfish can grow to 2.5 inches or 5 cm in length. It requires a minimum tank size of 10 gallons, but the ideal size of tank for these fish is going to be between 15 and 17.5 gallons. They require the water temperature to be between 72 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit, with a pH level ranging from 5.8 to 7.2, with a water hardness level between 5 and 18 dGH.

Therefore, when it comes to how many Cory Catfish you can fit into a 10-gallon tank, the answer is 1. Remember that the Pepper Cory Catfish is a bit bigger and requires a tank of 15 gallons at the least, so you won’t be able to fit even 1 of them into a 10-gallon tank.

But keep in mind that for the other six species of Cory Catfish, 10 gallons is the absolute minimum, but anywhere from 15 to 20 gallons is what you want to provide them with for their ideal life.

Cory Catfish – Feeding, Tank Setup, Tank Mates, & More

We don’t want to spend too much time on this, but there are some things you should probably know before you get any kind of Cory Catfish. We are going to keep things fairly general here, as most of this stuff applies to all seven species of Cory Catfish. Let’s just go over some basic housing, care, and feeding tips to get you started.

Dwarf Corydoras Catfish
Image Credit: Alice_Alphabet, Pixabay

  • One thing to note here is that all Cory Catfish should be kept in schools of at least 4 or 5. They are schooling fish and will not be happy without some friends to hang out with. Keep in mind that some of the types of Cory Catfish like larger schools, whereas some like smaller schools.
  • Keep in mind that these are very peaceful fish and they often get bullied by larger and more aggressive fish. If you want to keep them with other fish, the tank mates need to be peaceful and non-aggressive.
  • These fish are bottom dwellers and they often like to rummage around in the substrate. It is recommended that you have at least 2 inches of substrate in the bottom of a Cory Catfish tank. You probably want to go with gravel as opposed to sand, but it needs to be rounded and smooth to avoid injury.
  • Cory Catfish can be a bit skittish, sometimes they like privacy, and they like hiding spaces too. For this reason, they tend to do best in heavily planted tanks full of live plants. Some driftwood and rock caves for hiding will make your Cory happy as well.
  • The Cory Catfish does not do well in dirty tanks that do not have good filters. High ammonia and nitrate levels can easily make these fish very sick, to the point of death. A high-efficiency filter with all three major types of water filtration, one that can handle at least twice the amount of water in the tank per hour, is something you will need.
  • Cory Catfish are bottom feeders and scavengers. They will often eat uneaten food, algae, plant matter, and pretty much everything in between. You should feed them a balanced diet of flakes or pellets. It is best to feed them catfish food. Do not feed them more than they can eat in 5 minutes per day.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How Many Cory Catfish Can You Keep In a 5-Gallon Tank?

None, 5 gallons is too small for Cory Catfish. 10–15 gallons is the absolute minimum per one fish.

How Many Cory Catfish Can You Keep In a 20-Gallon Tank?

A 20-gallon tank should never house more than two Cory Catfish, though we should suggest getting a 30+ gallon tank if you plan on housing two to give them the best environment.

How Many Corydoras Are Recommended Per Gallon?

None, 10–15 gallons should be the minimum for each Cory Catfish. You also have to consider tank mates, plants, rocks, and general space requirements.

Sterba's cory catfish
Image Credit: Guillermo Guerao Serra, Shutterstock

Can You Get Albino Cory Catfish?

Yes, the albino cory catfish is a specific type of Cory Catfish. Although they have a special name, they are really no more expensive than other Cory Catfish, nor are they much harder to care for either. In fact, albino Cory Catfish are not even that rare either.

Do Cory Catfish Clean the Tank?

Yes, this is actually one reason why many people get Cory Catfish, especially for community tanks. Cory Catfish are bottom feeders and scavengers.

They are extremely efficient cleaners and will eat a lot of debris, plant matter, uneaten fish food, and even some algae. In terms of fish, they are some of the best tank cleaners out there.

What Is the Best Substrate for Corydoras?

When it comes to a substrate for Corydoras, they prefer either very soft and fine gravel or sand. However, Cory Catfish love to dig in the substrate, which means that sand is by far the best option to go with.

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Conclusion

The bottom line is that there are many types of Cory Catfish that you can have in your home aquarium. They don’t need a huge tank, but 10 or 15 gallons at the very least (we have reviewed our favorite 10-gallon aquariums here). These fish are easy to care for, don’t require much in terms of feeding, and don’t need too much maintenance.

They are generally considered to be a decent fish to get for first-time aquarium owners.


Featured Image Credit: Dimitris Leonidas, Shutterstock

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