Corydora Stocking

[Just a Pygmy Corydora]

How many pygmy corydoras can be in a 5.5 gallon tank with a veiltail betta? I currently have 3, and I am thinking of buying more. Thanks!

[lefty o]

 pygmy cory's you can probably do 7 or 8.

Edited May 7, 2021 by lefty o
cant read lol

[Just a Pygmy Corydora]

Isn't the general rule of thumb "You can add as many inches of fish you have in gallons"? I have a 5.5 gallon, and plus a veiltail betta, who is 2.5 in, and so is it OK to add so much pygmy corydoras?

[Colu]

15 minutes ago, Catfish_Lover_Jane said:

Isn't the general rule of thumb "You can add as many inches of fish you have in gallons"? I have a 5.5 gallon, and plus a veiltail betta, who is 2.5 in, and so is it OK to add so much pygmy corydoras?

I would get 3  more pygmy Cory's 

[Just a Pygmy Corydora]

And then have 6 corydoras? Is it ok to have 7 fish in a 5 gallon?

[Colu]

3 minutes ago, Catfish_Lover_Jane said:

And then have 6 corydoras? Is it ok to have 7 fish in a 5 gallon?

If you have live plant and adequate filtration it will be ok just keep a close eye on water parameters

[anewbie]

There are no clear rules here - a bit depends on the filtration and how clean you keep the water whether it be via water changes or some other method.

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As a general rule a 5 gallon tank is a bit small for pygmy but since you already have 3 i would get 2 to 4 more since they do require a larger group. So why is the 5 gallon tank not the best size because  - they do like to swim a bit and a 5 is a bit cramp. Most sites recommend a 10 gallon.

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As for the 1 inch rule - it is a novice way of guessing how much bioload and space a tank has but it doesn't really work that well as some small fishes have a high bio load, extreme requirement for pure water or are hyper active and need a lot of swimming space and some larger fishes just kind of sit still most of the day doing nothing. 

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Anyway you have 3 so adding a few more isn't going to make matter worse since the bio load is light and the fishes will be 'happier' to be in a larger group. 

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You should periodically monitor your nitrate level - maybe once every 6 or 12 weeks just to make sure it doesn't continuously drift higher. If it gets above 40 or so you might consider water changes to bring it back down.

Edited May 8, 2021 by anewbie