Cory catfish are known to be the most popular bottom dwellers that aquarists prefer to add to their community tanks. They are peaceful creatures and love to swim and interact with other non-aggressive fish.
When it comes to the Oscars, they are aggressive fish, and it becomes challenging to choose mates for them. So, Can we keep cory catfish with Oscars? Can cory catfish live with the Oscars? Let us find out.
Cory catfish cannot live with oscar fish as Oscars are aggressive and will try to hunt down your cory catfish. If oscar fish try to feed on cory catfish, they both will eventually die as cory catfish will get stuck in their throat. So instead, consider keeping your corydoras with peaceful fish.
This article will discuss whether cory catfish can live with the Oscars. Also, we will know the best tankmates for cory catfish and Oscars. So, let us get into it.
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Can we keep oscar fish and cory catfish together?
Keeping corydoras and Oscars in the same tank is not a good idea.
Oscars are known to be aggressive fish and will try to chase and hunt down the corydoras.
If Oscars try to eat cory catfish, both of them will eventually die.
If Oscar tries to eat corydoras, cory will get stuck in their throat, and they both will die.
Cory catfish are peaceful creatures and require a peaceful environment to thrive.
Keeping them together is not a good idea as they will not live peacefully.
Also read: Can Cory Catfish Live With Bettas?
What are the reasons behind not keeping them together?
All these are the reasons behind not keeping oscar fish and corydoras together:
- The Oscars are aggressive.
- Your cory catfish will come under stress.
- They will require a large size tank.
The Oscars are aggressive.
Oscars are known to be aggressive freshwater fish.
They can become a threat to small fishes like corydoras.
Keeping cory catfish and Oscars is not a good choice as they are not compatible mates.
Cory catfish are peaceful fish, whereas Oscars are aggressive fish.
Oscars can be mean sometimes when not kept in the right conditions and can attack their mates because of anger.
Cory catfish will come under stress.
Oscars are aggressive fish and will keep chasing and trying to eat your cory catfish.
They will look at cory catfish as a tasty snack and will happily try to feed on them.
Your cory catfish will come under stress because of being constantly chased.
They will keep running, hiding from the Oscars, and coming under high-level stress.
And you must know that your cory catfish being under stress for a long time, will become weak and become prone to various diseases and parasites.
Also read: How To Tell If A Cory Catfish Is Stressed?
They will require a large size tank.
Keeping Oscars fish in a tank size between 60-75 gallons is recommended.
An adult oscar fish will live comfortably in a 75-gallon tank.
When it comes to cory catfish, you will require a 20-gallon tank to house them.
Cory catfish are schooling fish and should be kept in a group of at least 5-6 of their species.
So keeping them together will require a tank that is more than 100-gallon.
However, they are not compatible mates and will not live with each other peacefully.
Also read: How Many Cory Catfish In A 10-Gallon Tank?
Who are the best tankmates for your cory catfish?
Cory catfish are non-aggressive fish and prefer to live and swim with other peaceful fish in a community tank.
They are schooling fish and require a large group of their species.
Keeping cory catfish with other peaceful fish in a community tank will make them thrive.
These are some of the best tankmates of your corydoras, and you can consider keeping them with your cory catfish:
- Guppies
- Mollies
- Platies
- Neon tetras
- Shrimp
- Snails
- Gourami
- Zebra danios
Your cory catfish will thrive living with all these tankmates.
However, you must know that corydoras require a minimum tank size of 20-gallon to live comfortably.
So, when planning to add other fish to their tank, make sure you have enough large tanks to house them together.Â
Also read: Can Cory Catfish Live With Plecos?
Best tankmates for oscar fish?
Oscar fish belongs to the family of cichlids and are native to South America.
When kept in captivity, they can reach as long as 14 inches in size.
They are mostly kept with other types of cichlids like:
- Firemouth cichlid
- Black convict cichlid
- Severum cichlid
- Jack Dempsey cichlid
- Green terror cichlid
Other fish that you can consider adding to your oscar fish tank are:
- Plecostomus
- Silver dollars
However, you must know that you will need a tank size of a minimum of 75 gallons tank to house Oscars with other fish.
Conclusion:
Keeping cory catfish and Oscars together is not a good idea, as it can kill both of them.
The Oscars will try to feed on corydoras, which will result in corydoras getting stuck in their throat, and they both will pass away.
Your cory catfish will be under constant stress because of being constantly chased by the oscar fish.
Being stressed for a long time will make them prone to various diseases and parasites.
Consider keeping your cory catfish with peaceful mates like guppies and mollies.