# What kind of cory in 10 gal with 3/4 platties



## Penpike (Aug 30, 2012)

I have a 10th gal tank in which I will be putting 3 or 4 platties in, along with 3 corys. I am looking for a smaller type of cory that will do well in these conditions, the tank will be fully cycles, and I want the corys to eat leftover food and debris off the bottom although I will be feeding them additionally and still cleaning the tank. Any thoughts or suggestions?


----------



## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

I think any of the more common cories will work, like the peppered cory.


----------



## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

I have two Emerald Green Cories in my molly tank. They only get about 2 1/2-3 inches long, they're very energetic and friendly. =) They need more than just algae though! They'll pretty much eat what your fish do, including the algae. They also like to be in groups of 3+ and should be ok in a ten gallon with only 3-4 platies. 

You could also go with Pygmy Cories (Also known as Dainty Cories or Venezuelan Pygmy Cories), they only get about one inch long and are also active and friendly.

Cories probably wont eat all of your left-over food though and you'll still need to clean the tank regularly, so try not to over-feed your platies.


----------



## fish monger (Dec 29, 2011)

The vast majority of corys only get 2-2 1/2 inches and they would be fine. I have three in my ten gallon and they swim together and are in great condition. I throw in a few bottom feeder pellets once a day along with the normal fish food. Try to divide foods up so that everybody is getting something without over feeding.


----------



## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

I have peppered cories and albinos in a tank with platies and guppies- they're doing well.


----------



## Penpike (Aug 30, 2012)

redchigh said:


> I have peppered cories and albinos in a tank with platies and guppies- they're doing well.


Also a pretty important fact that I forgot to mention, is that my tank has large blue pebbles instead of sand. I know that the pebbles will injure most bottom feeders but are there any types that will be fine will this?


----------



## fish monger (Dec 29, 2011)

Corys do love sand; however, as longs as the pebbles don't have sharp edges, there should be no problem. Also, you don't want the pebbles to be so big as to let a lot of gunk get stuck down deep in them. About 1/8 to 1/4 in diameter is good.


----------



## sidluckman (Jan 15, 2012)

I will venture that I don't think cories are a great idea for a ten gallon tank. This is only my current and particular rant, and to my esteemed fellow forum friends I apologize in advance for espousing a different viewpoint. 

I believe that we should let the natural history of cory cats inform our decisions with regard to keeping them. To me that means they should be kept by the dozens at least and not in trios, and they should be kept in much larger tanks. I believe we should design the tank with cories in mind, rather than adding them to a tank already designed for fish that are more generalist in nature. We should provide substrate appropriate to their needs and details of their anatomical design, including leaf litter, and attention to their too often ignored dietary needs.

Cories are fish we all love, but recent discussion with friends on another forum led us all to the conclusion that none of us had a particularly good track record with them. We bought them, five or seven at a time, and watched as inevitable attrition took place. Despite the fact that we all suffered losses, we none of us regarded them as a difficult fish. And yet our experiences were mediocre at best.

I know they are small and we seek small fish for small tanks, but a single cory is just a fragment of the larger organism to which it ought to belong. A "school" of twelve fish is a rather large organism , and in their natural setting, twelve woudn''t even count as a school. Three would only be a desperate trio seeking to rejoin a school numbering in the thousands. 

I am not saying it is impossible. I am not saying "don't". I have even seen a trio or two survive a decent while in a ten gallon tank. And I hope yours are another example. 

I believe there is always a tension between what a fish should have and what we as aquarists provide. This tension exists in nature, too, so we should not ignore it or pretend we are ever providing sufficient space or conditions for our fish. Me included. Aquariums are just too artificial an environment for us to ever delude ourselves into thinking we have achieved perfection or even adequacy. And please don't take this philosophical and wandering comment to mean that I am criticizing. Look at me: I own marine fish. But based on the ratio of reef fish to water, my two hundred gallon tank was already overstocked the minute I filled it and walked through the room munching on a fishstick!!! Right? Two hundred gallons versus the indo-pacific is nothing. Yet ten very cooperative fish call it home. Seen this way, I am the lucky one, very lucky, because it is they who stand to pay the ultimate price for my ego, and my desire to contain them. . . 

Randy

P.S. Fishmonger: you seem to be the exception! People should note your attention to their diet, probably the secret of your success!


----------



## Penpike (Aug 30, 2012)

sidluckman said:


> I will venture that I don't think cories are a great idea for a ten gallon tank. This is only my current and particular rant, and to my esteemed fellow forum friends I apologize in advance for espousing a different viewpoint.
> 
> I believe that we should let the natural history of cory cats inform our decisions with regard to keeping them. To me that means they should be kept by the dozens at least and not in trios, and they should be kept in much larger tanks. I believe we should design the tank with cories in mind, rather than adding them to a tank already designed for fish that are more generalist in nature. We should provide substrate appropriate to their needs and details of their anatomical design, including leaf litter, and attention to their too often ignored dietary needs.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for this information! If corrys won't be good in my tank, are there any other small fish that might be good tankmates for platies?


----------



## sidluckman (Jan 15, 2012)

I am not saying this can't be attempted, only that it isn't ideal. Of the Loricarids, some fish of the genuses Peckoltia and Ancistrus stay somewhat smaller, and don't require being kept in groups. Even so, I am looking at my Ancistrus as I type this. They are young fish and very actively and speedily moving around in my planted 55 gallon tank. If your tank was at least a twenty, I would recommend. . .

But perhaps someone wants to suggest a small Loricarid species with which I am unacquainted.Or we hopefully could get fishmonger back here to walk us through the approach taken in the tank with the trio of corys that are doing well. Also, we didn't mention or discuss much about micro-cories which are very tiny. . .but as I am personally inexperienced with their keep, I can't say more than that.

When I set up my 55, I was thinking about adding cories, but because I has used EcoComplete and I didn't know whether or not this is a good substrate for them, I held off. Good thing, too. I noticed in one of Byron's threads a comment that it can in fact be damaging to them. This doesn't surprise me, as it is very "sharp" and capable of putting good scratches in aquarium glass if you aren't careful when scrubbing algae! It also has a lot of iron in it, making it magnetic (which means magnetic scrubbers grab it and ruin your glass!) and I suspect, since it is volcanic in origin, you'll have very sharp, almost glass- like structures within it. 

I would PM fishmonger and try to get some more tips, consider changing your substrate to something cory-friendly at least, and keep thinking about whether you want to try cories right now. As a fish keeper, I always used to rush myself into new tanks and acquisition of new livestock. But after a few decades I realized that if a fish is available today, most often it will be available tomorrow, and that maybe if I wait, I can do it right in the future. I want to keep cories again myself sometime, I just want it to work out when I do.

I wish you the very best, whatever you decided to do. Being planful (as you are) is a great asset to fish keeping and will result in much success. Sincerely, 

Randy


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

i also want to mention that cories prefer good sized shoals. in a ten gallon four or five pygmy cories would be a good idea i think. I've got 9 bronze cories in with my angels, and they are as brave as ever, going strong


----------

