Cory catfish are the most common and beautiful bottom dwellers every aquarist love to add to their community tank. They are peaceful and hardy fish, making them the best fish for a community tank. Corydoras are the best option for beginners.
Cory catfish are shoaling fish and love to interact with other fish in a community tank. Queries like do they need a school or can we keep different species of corydoras together are expected in this fish. So, Do cory catfish need a school? Let us find out.
Cory catfish need a school as they are schooling fish. Consider keeping at least 5-6 cory catfish together to form a good school for them. Keeping few or only one corydoras in a tank will make them come under constant stress, and they will become prone to various diseases and parasites.
This article will discuss whether cory catfish need a school and whether we can keep different species of corydoras together in the same tank. Also, we will discuss whether we can keep single cory catfish in a community tank. So, let us get into it.
Contents
Do cory catfish need to be in the group?
Cory catfish do need a group as they are schooling fish and like to live and swim in a large group of their species.
They are peaceful fish and like to live and swim with other non-aggressive fish in a community tank.
They require a large group of their species to live comfortably.
Keeping a few cory catfish in a tank will not form a good school for them, and they will come under stress.
You must know that cory catfish, under stress for a long time, will become prone to various diseases and parasites and can even pass away.
We recommend keeping a large group of cory catfish together to complete their school and to ensure their comfortable living.
How many cory catfish should we keep together?
Cory catfish are schooling fish and prefer to live in a large group of their species.
You should at least keep 5-6 cory catfish together in a tank to form a good school for them.
Keeping less cory catfish will make them come under stress and become prone to various diseases and parasites.
Also, they can start avoiding eating and will become weak.
All these can result in your cory catfish passing away because of weakness and constant stress.
So, consider keeping your cory catfish in a group of at least 5-6 of their species.
Can we form a group of different species of cory catfish?
We can form a group of different species of cory catfish in a tank.
Corydoras are peaceful towards each other and will not harm each other.
They will socialize with each other but will not school with each other.
If you have a big enough tank, you can consider keeping different types of corydoras in a tank.
However, to form a school, you have to keep one type of 4-5 cory catfish in a tank.
You can keep different types of cory catfish together, and they will thrive living together.
These are some cory catfish you can consider keeping in the same tank:
- Pygmy corydoras
- Peppered corydoras
- Emerald corydoras
- Panda corydoras
- Skunk corydoras
Keep 4-5 corydoras of each species in a tank to form a good school for them, and you can keep different types of corydoras together.
Also read: Are Cory Catfish Aggressive?
Can we keep single cory catfish in a community tank?
Keeping single cory catfish in a community tank is not a good option.
Cory catfish are social fish and will love to swim and interact with other fish in a community tank.
However, they are also schooling fish and require a large group of their species to thrive and live comfortably.
Keeping a single cory catfish in a community tank with other compatible tankmates will not help your cory catfish until they are kept in a large group.
Consider keeping them in a large group of their species in a community tank too.
They will thrive living in a large group of their species and be much more comfortable.
Also read: Can Cory Catfish Live Alone?
What is the best tank size for keeping cory catfish?
When it comes to the best tank size for a fish, the key factor that helps us decide is the size of the fish and the number of fish to be kept together.
Cory catfish can be as long as 4 inches in size, depending on the species. However, the average size of a cory catfish lies between 2-2.5 inches.
They are schooling fish and should be kept in a large group of at least 5-6 of their species to form a good school for them.
Some of the space in a tank will be occupied by sand, plants, decors, and other things.
So, keeping in mind all those factors, a 20-gallon tank is the ideal size for a cory catfish.
Consider providing at least a 20-gallon tank or above to your cory catfish to ensure their happy and comfortable living.
Keeping them in a less than 20-gallon tank will end up overcrowding the tank, and they will suffer.
An overcrowded tank will come with issues like deficiency of oxygen, an ammonia spike, and poor water conditions.
Also read: How Many Cory Catfish In A 10-Gallon Tank?
Conclusion:
Cory catfish are schooling fish and will need a large enough group of their species to form a good school.
Consider keeping 5-6 cory catfish together to form a good school for them.
Keeping less or only one cory catfish in a tank will make them come under stress and become prone to various diseases and parasites.
They can even pass away living alone because of constant stress.
You can keep different species of corydoras together in a tank as they are peaceful and will not harm each other.
However, consider keeping 4-5 corydoras of the same species to form a school.
Different species of corydoras will not school together.
Reference: ScienceDirect, Wikipedia