Cory catfish are peaceful bottom dwellers fish most aquarists prefer to add to their home tanks.
They are social fish and will love to swim and interact with other peaceful fish in a community tank. But, Can cory catfish live with goldfish? Let us find out.
Cory catfish cannot live with goldfish as they share different water temperature requirements, and also, goldfish will eat your cory catfish if it fits their mouth. We don’t recommend keeping them together as your cory catfish will be under constant stress because of the risk of getting eaten.
This article will discuss whether cory catfish can live with goldfish and the reasons for not keeping them together in the same tank. So, let us get into it.
Contents
Can I keep cory catfish and goldfish together in a tank?
We don’t recommend keeping cory catfish and goldfish together in the same tank.
Goldfish are not the best tankmate for your corydoras.
Their size is the main factor that doesn’t make them an ideal option for cory catfish.
Goldfish are bigger, and their mouth will easily fit your small corydoras.
This means that your goldfish can feed on your cory catfish if they get fits in their mouth.
Also, if the cory catfish get stuck in their mouth when they try to feed on them, both can pass away.
Many other reasons don’t make them the ideal options for each other.
There are many things we have to look for when planning to make a community tank and add various types of fish.
We have to ensure that their water parameters, conditions, and temperament are the same.
Let us discuss all the reasons why we should not keep goldfish and cory catfish together.
Also read: Can Cory Catfish Live With Neon Tetras?
Reasons why we should not keep cory catfish and goldfish together?
All these are the reasons why you should not keep goldfish and cory catfish together:
- Goldfish are much bigger than cory catfish.
- Their water temperature requirement is different.
- Keeping them together will require a large size tank.
- It will be hard feeding your cory catfish.
Size of the goldfish
Size is the main reason why you should not consider keeping goldfish and cory catfish together.
Cory catfish are smaller in size and can easily fit in goldfish mouths.
Goldfish will feed on small cory catfish as they fit in their mouth.
Your cory catfish will be under constant stress because of the risk of getting eaten by the bigger goldfish.
Water temperature
Goldfish require a water temperature between 68-74 °F, whereas cory catfish will need a water temperature between 72-82 °F, depending on their species.
Most of the cory catfish species will require a water temperature between 75-82 °F.
Some of the cory catfish will survive in colder temperatures, but here we are talking about survival and not living comfortably.
Cold water temperature will make your cory catfish weak and prone to various diseases and parasites.
Also read: Ideal pH level Of Cory Catfish?
Size of the tank
Cory catfish are schooling fish and prefer to live in a group of at least 5-6 of their species.
Keeping 5-6 corydoras will require a minimum size of 20-gallon.
And when it comes to keeping goldfish in a tank, a single goldfish will require a minimum of 20 gallons.
Also, some of the goldfish species will require more space.
So, you have to consider at least a 50-60 gallon tank to keep them together.
Feeding
Cory catfish are bottom dwellers and spend most of the time scavenging on the bottom in search of food.
They will feed from the bottom of the tank.
When keeping goldfish, you will struggle to feed your cory catfish.
Goldfish will feed on the food before it reaches the bottom for your cory catfish.
So, either you have to find some spot in your tank where your goldfish is not able to visit, or you have to feed your cory catfish with fast sinking food.
What are the exceptions for keeping cory catfish and goldfish together?
Usually, we will not recommend keeping cory catfish with goldfish.
You can keep small fancy goldfish with corydoras or can keep goldfish in their tank, and when they get bigger, separate them and place them in another tank.
However, if you want to make it happen, then ensure all these things:
- Keep them in a large-size tank
- Maintain their ideal living conditions and parameters.
- Make sure your corydoras are big enough to fit in a goldfish mouth.
- Feed your goldfish regularly.
Large size tank
Provide your cory catfish and goldfish with a large enough space to ensure their comfortable living.
Corydoras prefer to live in a large group of their own species. So consider keeping them in a group of at least 5-6.
The minimum size requirement for keeping 5-6 cory catfish is 20-gallon.
You will require an extra 20-gallon for your goldfish.
The substrate, decors, and plants will cover some of the space.
So, if you are planning to keep them together, you should have a 40-50 gallon tank to ensure their comfortable living.
Also read: How Many Cory Catfish In A 10 Gallon Tank?
Maintain ideal living conditions and temperature
The ideal water temperature of goldfish is between 68-74 °F, whereas most corydoras species require a temperature between 72-82 °F.
So to make them live together, you have to maintain the water temperature between 72-74 °F.
When it comes to water conditions, both prefer to live in freshwater conditions.
So, keep the water super clean by performing a regular water change and maintaining the ammonia and nitrite at 0ppm.
Also read: Ideal TDS For A Cory Catfish?
Size of the corydoras
When planning to keep cory catfish and goldfish together, the main factor that makes us skip the plan of keeping them together is the size of the goldfish.
Goldfish are big and will eat anything that fits in their mouth.
Small size corydoras will always be in danger of being eaten by the goldfish.
So, consider adding big-size cory catfish and small-size goldfish when planning to keep them together.
Also read: How Long Do Cory Catfish Take To Grow?
Feed your goldfish regularly
Hungry goldfish will try to feed on your cory catfish if they fit their mouth.
So, feeding them regularly is necessary to keep them full and make them less interested in hunting down your cory catfish.
Feed your cory catfish one to two times a day in a quantity that they can finish eating in one to two minutes.
If you are feeding them one time a day, feed them in a quantity that they can finish eating in three to four minutes.
Which fish are best for your cory catfish tank?
Cory catfish are peaceful fish and prefer to live with other non-aggressive fish.
They will thrive living and interacting with peaceful fish.
These are some of the best tankmates for your corydoras you can consider adding to their tank:
- Neon tetras
- Guppies
- Mollies
- Platies
- Shrimps
- Snails
- Zebra danios
All these are peaceful fish and will happily live with cory catfish.
Also read: Can Cory Catfish Live With Guppies?
Conclusion:
Keeping goldfish with your cory catfish is not a good idea.
We don’t recommend keeping cory catfish and goldfish together.
The main reason behind not keeping them together is their sizes.
Goldfish will eat anything that fits their mouth. They can feed on small Corydoras that fit their mouth.
Also, you will find it hard feeding your cory catfish as goldfish will feed on the food before it gets sinks to the bottom.
The water temperature will be the issue when planning to keep them together as goldfish require water temperature between 68-74 °F, whereas Corydoras will require water temperature between 72-82 °F.