Helping Out My Friend With Fish

[joselaz5780]

My friend came over to my house about two weeks ago and now he is in love with platies and cory catfish. He said he wanted 2 red wag platies and 2 sunburst. Also, he wanted 3 bronze cory catfish. He is keeping them in a 10 gallon. Is this good? i have 5 red wag platies and 4 bronze cories, so his fish aren't that different than mine.

 

[snake007]

Did he cycle it?

Cories should really be in bigger shoals, maybe he should up them to 6.

 

[creeker]

I think four platies and three cories would be fine in a cycled ten gallon tank. I would not go to six on the cories due to the tank being too small.

 

[snake007]

But then the cories will be unhappy, I think he could push to 5 in a 10g

 

[creeker]

But then the cories will be unhappy, I think he could push to 5 in a 10g

Better to skip the cories than push to five, in my opinion. Bronze cories (aeneus) get pretty bulky when they are full grown, for a ten gallon tank.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Go for C. habrosus instead of bronze cories. They stay smaller (~1.25 inches instead of 2+ inches), so you could push the number a big higher to 5 or 6 more easily. HOWEVER, I wouldn't recommend that UNTIL the tank is fully cycled!



This would ultimately be "overstocking" the tank a bit, so he will need to be VERY diligent about his water maintenance. I would say at least 40% weekly and THOROUGH substrate cleaning. The bottom of the tank should include some hiding places for the cories and some plants of some sort. (It also helps it to look better!) These cories are a bit skittish, so they need some cover to feel more comfortable.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Honestly, in a 10g I'd skip the cory. They really need to be in bigger shoals. Plus, what kind of substrate is in the tank? Likely gravel, and that fact added to the small size will result in poorly cory down the road.

 

[creeker]

Also, in regards to the platies, all males to avoid the inevitable overpopulation.