Tank Upkeep: Suggested Fish

[Carmen]

Hello, i have a 9.5 litre tank and i currently have 2 guppies. i was going to purchase a Cory catfish to add to them to help with the tank upkeep. what do you suggest please?

In my research i found that the minimum tank size for these should be 10 gallons (38 litres). is this true and does it apply for young cory too?

Also what do you suggest simillar to a catfish which remains small and which will help in the upkeep?

thanks

Edited March 1, 2021 by Carmen

[FrozenFins]

9.5 liters is like 2.5 gallons. I would say that is a bit small for a corycatfish, I don't know if your bioload will even be able to support another fish. Whats your filtration like?

I find that snails do a better job of cleaning then a corydora.

[Carmen]

i have a built in filter that takes carbon incorporated in white wool cartridges.

wouldn't other fish eat the snails? also i have a bottom made of gravel not sand thus i am not sure if it is the best for snails.

[lefty o]

probably the only cory i would recommend for a tank that size would be a small school of pygmie corydoras. im talking like 3 of them.

[Colu]

I think ram horn snails or nerite snail would be a better option in 2.5 gallon tank

[Kirsten]

1 hour ago, Carmen said:

i have a built in filter that takes carbon incorporated in white wool cartridges.

wouldn't other fish eat the snails? also i have a bottom made of gravel not sand thus i am not sure if it is the best for snails.

Nope! Guppies and snails will live perfectly happy together, and snails are totally fine with gravel. For a tank that small, I'd recommend ramshorn snails (which will reproduce, especially if there's an abundance of food waste), or some very small nerite snails like horned nerites (which won't reproduce in freshwater but will lay tiny white eggs regardless).

Otherwise, you could also get some Neocaridina shrimp which are quite small, will scavenge leftover food, and come in many vibrant colors.