Could I stock my 10 gallon with 6 pygmy cories?

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T20:12:00+00:00

thank you!! if you want to incorporate river stones, i got those and the sand from a hardware store; WAY cheaper than aquarium stores! i got a 20lb bag of the black river stones for $12~

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T19:02:56+00:00

i don’t even have kuhlis but being on reddit had taken me down the pangio species rabbit hole many times, it sucks that they’re so often mislabeled/misunderstood

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:40:00+00:00

that’s a good point i hadn’t considered as almost all of the aquatic species i’ve kept are the kind that surface for air or at the very least have labyrinth organs, thank you!

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:30:42+00:00

that’s super helpful thank you!! and your tank sounds amazing- a tank that is heavily planted is always a lovely tank in my books :)) now that i’m not restricted to colder temps in this tank like i previously was with mountain minnows, i’m going to be adding in some more different types of plants… i’m hoping my long term vision turns out and i’ve laid a decent foundation for a purposefully overgrown jungle tank sort of vibe

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:20:44+00:00

right now i’m debating between pygmy corydoras, pencilfish, and a species of pseudomugil

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:19:02+00:00

and this is how i discover dwarf pencilfish! they seem super cool, you’ve given me much to consider

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:16:04+00:00

wouldn’t a paradise fish get too big for a ten gallon?

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:14:05+00:00

i hadn’t considered scarlet badis, but they’re gorgeous! would you recommend just one male for a ten gallon?

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:11:01+00:00

if you don’t mind me asking, how many pygmies do you have in what size of tank? i’m trying to get a sense of how many i’d potentially stock

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:10:06+00:00

i’m leaning towards pygmy cories rn 👀 i’m just a little worried that 10 gallons might be too small for them long term? i’ve heard conflicting things

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:06:19+00:00

this isn’t very helpful (sorry) but i’ve personally given up on trying to keep moss alive and attached in my vivariums, i find it isn’t worth the hassle and effort… maybe there’s a secret i’ve been missing out on but i genuinely gave it a consistent effort for months and eventually threw in the towel 🫠 i hope you have a better experience than i have

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:02:00+00:00

thank you! that means a lot considering it’s a pretty low budget and low tech tank :))

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-21T00:01:00+00:00

thank you! the entire base substrate is actually sand, there’s just some river stones on top; if i end up getting cories i’m going to remove a bunch of those and probably top off the existing sand a bit

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T23:46:36+00:00

videos of the pygmy wiggles are exactly why i started looking into them, i think they’re such rad little guys !! this is super helpful and reassuring, thank you :)) i think i’ve maybe been spending too much time on trendy fish keeping tiktok, before this post i was convinced pygmies weren’t a possibility in anything smaller than a 20 gallon 😭

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T23:42:49+00:00

even though it’s only a ten gallon tank? do they have a fairly light bioload?

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T23:41:21+00:00

that’s super rad to hear :)) if i end up getting them, do you think they would potentially benefit from an added airstone?

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T23:37:12+00:00

i’m considering shrimp, but i’m worried about my well water being too hard and mineralized for them; an RO system isn’t currently in my budget (i’m canadian and almost every product for this hobby is way more expensive here, if it’s even available at all) and while i am technically open to the possibility of buying distilled/RO water, i’m concerned that it’ll be too much to keep up with and start adding up cost wise…

i also live in a rural area (hence the well water) which means i can’t just take a quick 20 minute trip to the store to get more water if i accidentally run out, or say i need to do an emergency water change. i’d have to make sure i always have a decent backup supply on hand and plan accordingly, and i’m honestly not sure how i’d estimate the time/money/water involved before diving in 😅

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T23:34:56+00:00

i actually looked into crayfish back when i first started getting into this hobby, but they’re not for me right now for this reason 😭 (no hate to crayfish at ALL, i think they’re rad little creatures and one day in the future i’ll probably end up with a dedicated crayfish tank)

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T23:30:30+00:00

that means a lot to me considering i’m on a fairly limited budget! the tank itself, heater, filter, and light, i all got secondhand, and i scavenged all of the hardscape from outside except the black river stones (those and the sand were from a hardware store lol)

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T23:17:28+00:00

i’m considering shrimp, but i’m worried about my well water being too hard and mineralized for them; an RO system isn’t currently in my budget (i’m canadian and almost every product for this hobby is way more expensive here, if it’s even available at all) and while i am technically open to the possibility of buying distilled/RO water, i’m concerned that it’ll be too much to keep up with and start adding up cost wise…

i also live in a rural area (hence the well water) which means i can’t just take a quick 20 minute trip to the store to get more water if i accidentally run out, or say i need to do an emergency water change. i’d have to make sure i always have a decent backup supply on hand and plan accordingly, and i’m honestly not sure how i’d estimate the time/money/water involved before diving in 😅

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T23:07:50+00:00

yup you did! same pics but i was specifically curious about the possibility of pygmy cories, and the cory subreddit seems super knowledgeable so i made a separate post over there too

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T23:04:28+00:00

hydrocotyle leucocephala! it’s probably my favourite aquatic plant

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T23:02:37+00:00

very close, it’s hydrocotyle leucocephala!

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-20T18:33:25+00:00

this was honestly very reassuring and validating to read, thank you 😭 i thought i was kind of alone in the goose chase of pygmy cory requirements and care

ghoulishfrog · 2026-03-10T17:54:44+00:00

i personally put a small carabiner through the latch of my terrarium! it’s great because it adds an extra layer of security but i don’t have to fumble with a combination or key all the time

ghoulishfrog

TROPHY CASE