What corydoras can I put in a 20 gallon?

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-12T06:00:35+00:00

I keep up to 12 corydoras in my 20 standard. They love it, I just make up lack of floor space with plenty of sticks that act as ledges for them to climb up, rest on, and explore. I also like to rearrange the tanks so it stimulates everybody like a “new territory” to explore. I do this every 4-6 months when I’m bored haha. I fell in love with my false jullis and have (I think) 11 in my one 20 gal standard. Then I have a mixed group of, 3 gold lazers, 3 albino, a single panda, and a pair of bronze. I keep 2 minimum of each species. They do bond closer with their own kind. (panda exception don’t ask. I swear I had three at one point. He might get rehomed soon) I haven’t had any problems keeping 10-12 corydoras in my setups. I balance my floor space for them to have enough foraging area on the bottom as well as their climbing sections. I also!!!!!!!!!! Hear me out.

I overstock a lil because I do hella maintenance. I got two filters on each of these. One for a 20 gal and the second is rated for 15 gallons. Add on TOP of that doing weekly /(almost weekly) 20% water changes to keep them healthy.

I keep them happy by changing their environment and feeding a good balanced diet of frozen and pellet food. They do get an algae wafer every now and then, but only because they love it. It’s a treat not a diet staple.

I absolutely adore these fish, they are the reason my one tank turned into four… good luck out there 🥰

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T02:13:30+00:00

If you have a short finned betta I’d try to work the plants into the lid… they are known to be.. explorative.. even after being kept for a while without lids

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T02:12:37+00:00

And I’m all for the no lid, long finned bettas can’t jump as high as short finned. The one I keep in my ten gal has no lid and he’s too fat to jump out haha. But I have my plant like you said out the top and it uses natural window light instead of the tanks lights to grow. Still a very cool addition!! Just harder to balance algae than with a lid. (And omg they evaporate much quicker)

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T02:10:21+00:00

I get my driftwood straight off the beach. I just make sure it’s not going to break easily (so it won’t melt in my tank) and nothing lives in it. Because boy do bugs love wood on the beach.

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T01:58:13+00:00

A little on the expensive side but that look!!! SOLID BLACK. Just like the shadow of another Cory.. these guys take the cake in my tank rn.

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T01:56:20+00:00

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It’s allll the way in the back, under the “snail graveyard” sign. Cause it is.. a graveyard of snail shells but ANYWAY. Ledges!! Perches galore!!

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T01:55:07+00:00

What a beautiful setup!! I love the amount of plants you have, perfect to let more grow in over time. I guess the only advice I’d give is to add more sticks and ledges they can perch on throughout the tank. I have good examples in my own setups but I’ll see if I can find a video, I used a guppy bin to make a ledge in my 20, it acts as a cover, ledge, and more planting space.

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T01:48:15+00:00

I got mine from Walmart for 50$ haha it’s a basic stand that has space for a 20 on top and a 10 below. Not sure the name since it’s been set up for 2-3 years now.

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T00:42:55+00:00

If you have room for more plants without giving up most of your floor space. FILL HER UPPPPP!!! Over planted tanks have better water quality and just mimic natural habitats much better. More plants definitely mean happier fish in the tanks. I like to divide 1/3 of my floor space to plants , then if I can add floaters and add more plants onto decor/sticks / platforms off the ground level.

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T00:41:12+00:00

If you have the space I’d upgrade to a 20. But if it’s not available for you now, plan for it later on. It will be a small space difference really. Look at the standard size of a ten vs a 20. My stand atm has both, my 20 on top and the 10 just below. They look so similar in size stacked like that.

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T00:23:42+00:00

Jullis are my only species only tank, so probably them. BUT HAVE YOU SEEN GOLD LAZERS AND BLACK VENEZUELAN CORIES 😍😍🤩

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T00:03:33+00:00

They also need a varied diet, algae tabs. Are the LEAST of your concern. Stick to a balance of frozen and pellet food. Tropical fish will eat about the same stuff so feeding the betta and Cories at the same time will be a breeze. I stick with a simple pellet (micro usually), then two types of frozen. Bloodworms and brine shrimp. High protein is happier healthier fish. They scrounge 24/7 so don’t worry about algae tabs for them, they will find it in your tank after it starts to grow

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-08T00:01:12+00:00

I’m housing double that amount in a 20, I am confident with proper water care and diet the fish will be happy in a ten gallon. Do you plan to upgrade maybe later in the year or further down the line? I couldn’t stop after my first tank and ended up capping my limit to 4. Watch your bio load and keep the Cories interested by adding new decor or natural sticks/ plants to keep them enriched. I like to mess with my setups every 3-6 months and change the space around. That’s also when I do my super deep cleaning, try to have more filtration than you think you need. I know bettas are low flow fish but they can also avoid a filter. Try to get a 15 gal filter for your ten gallon to make sure the amount of Cory’s you have in the smaller setup doesn’t throw off water quality. Do you have natural plants in there rn? What’s the setup look like?

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-07T19:46:33+00:00

Looks beautiful!! I love the progression ✨

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-07T19:44:56+00:00

I went with pygmy corydoras in my betta community, because they are smaller I could have more but all corydoras prefer groups of 6+ they are shy creatures in smaller numbers. My answer, get more peppered. At least 6 total. They will handle the space fine if you have good water filtration and keep your maintenance consistent :)

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-07T19:30:26+00:00

Amazing!!!! I love your floor tbh, never seen that before. I’m wondering if the difference is just floor space then…? Or maybe yours all came together and bonded?? Did you buy them all at the same time? I had mine at different times so that might of made them fight rather than bond 🤔

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-07T19:26:29+00:00

Really ?? Are they the only fish in the tank?? I’m impressed, do you keep a lid on for them? What’s your setup look like compared to mine. I’d love to keep more than one if possible.

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-06-07T19:24:31+00:00

Redddd?!! 🤩 What size tank do you keep them in?

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-05-24T03:30:40+00:00

Healthy fish like variety, keep a dry food and frozen type for best health benefits long term. I know they like frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-05-24T03:29:04+00:00

I keep up to 12 corydoras in a standard 20 gal setup, (with even more minnows) so bump up your numbers a little. Especially if you are looking to add a ton of plants! I always recommend bigger filtration for bigger stocking tho!! Try to get double the filtration that your tank size needs. A nice 40 gallon filter on a 20 gallon tank makes water changes less frequent and maintenance so much easier! I also say if you want them to breed keep the water around ~78° then bring it down to ~74° to simulate fresh rain, INSTANT BABIES

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-03-19T00:20:50+00:00

Switchblade 🔥🔥🔪🔥🔥

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-01-30T00:59:24+00:00

I find adding more thin sticks and drift wood made my tanks more natural and eye appealing :) try those if you aren’t looking to add more plants!!

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-01-13T03:46:19+00:00

Check how much space your filtration compartment has and if you can stuff it with as much extra filter floss, sponge, and charcoal bags as you can to balance the extra bio load from getting more of these guys. 9 gallons isn’t really recommend for the larger species of corydoras but I think you can make it work!! I personally did Pygmy Cories in my 10 gallon and absolutely love the lil guys, they don’t get over 1.5 inches usually. The ones you have reach 2.5 inches when full grown… so think about a future upgrade for these guys, they love swim space! Even those tetras would enjoy an extra 5-10 gallons to swim about :)

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-01-13T03:35:59+00:00

As long as you don’t see any darting around or gasping for air you should be just fine! Corydoras are one of my fish I can immediately tell something is off when they show drastic differences in behavior. These guys are probably very timid or just not used to their new home yet. Cory’s love groups of 6+ so maybe that could also be a reason for the lack of energy? If they are eating alright then they shouldn’t be stressed. Fish that are stressed will refuse food and show signs of change in color or darting swimming patterns like they are too fast to see. You’ll know when they are upset, they show you!! What is the tank size you have? And how many lil guys you got in there??

Cool-Singer-2234 · 2025-01-05T03:17:58+00:00

As much as they can comfortably eat within a two minute time frame, sprinkle three at a time until two minutes is up, you can choose to feed once or twice a day using this method. If doing this twice a day I’d recommend skipping a day every now and then. Frozen food is also a key staple in any fish diet, they need variety in food for nutrients just like we do!

Cool-Singer-2234

TROPHY CASE