You may be looking for a bottom feeder for your 10 gallon tank, and may find that Bronze Corydoras seem ideal, they are small, peaceful and hardy as far as catfish go.
But are they ideal for a 10 gallon tank? How many Cories can you fit into a 10 gallon tank? And what sizes are best for bronze Corydoras?
In this article we aim to answer these questions, and give some of our best advice when it comes to providing proper care for your Bronze Corydoras.
How many Bronze Corydoras should be kept together?
Bronze Cories are highly social fish, in the wild they are found in schools hundreds strong and are most comfortable when high in number.
When segmented into small groups, pairs or kept on their own, Corydoras often exhibit stress behaviours and will become extremely skittish.
This is why it is important that you keep a school of Corydoras if you plan to keep them, ideally we recommend getting around 6 of them at least.
We would also add that this is 6 Corydoras of the same species, as while they may look similar to us, Cory Cats will not intermingle with other species, and will not get the same social benefits, it is best to keep a school of just one species of Cory.
What happens if you add too many Bronze Corydoras to a 10 gallon tank?
Adding too many Cory Cats to your 10 gallon tank will cause stress to the fish, and will create a high amount of waste ammonia.
Squeezing a bunch of catfish into a small area is never a good idea, as they need room to swim and graze, keeping hundreds of them bundled together in a small tank can cause stress, just like us, they do not like to be crowded into a small space.
Having too many Cories in a 10 gallon also means that there is much more ammonia being produced, and if this becomes too much for the filtration to deal with, then an ammonia spike can occur, crashing the tank and killing all the fish inside.
How many Bronze Corydoras can I put in a 10 gallon tank?
Typically we would try to avoid telling people to add Bronze Corydoras to a 10 gallon, as the size is too small for them to really do well in, a 20 gallon tank would be a much better size for a small group.
However, for temporary housing such as quarantine or breeding tanks, it is possible to squeeze a few Bronze Cories in a 10 gallon, but we would suggest no more than 6 for a limited amount of time.
Corydoras are active fish and need plenty of space to sift through the sand and school around in, and a 10 gallon doesn’t really allow for much of this, as they typically lack the floorspace needed for a school of Cories.
Bronze Cories that are kept in a 10 gallon tend to glass surf a lot, and can show signs of stress due to the small space.
Although it can be done, we like to suggest a larger tank, as it is not fair to keep an active fish in a small space all its life.
How many male Bronze Corydoras can I put in a 10 gallon tank?
Bronze Corydoras can be tricky to properly sex, so it can be difficult to know how many males and females you have in your tank.
Luckily, male Corydoras are not very territorial and will live alongside each other peacefully.
During spawning, males will spar with each other by jabbing at one another with their barbed fins, but seldom do Cory Cats ever cause damage to each other, and you need not worry much about territorial disputes between male Cories.
In a 10 gallon we would say to house no more than 6 male Bronze Corydoras, but as mentioned, this is not an ideal space for them, and they could become stressed in the small space, so a 15 or 20 gallon would be much better for them long term.
How many female Bronze Corydoras can I put in a 10 gallon tank?
Much like male Cories, females will also live harmoniously alongside each other, and disputes between territory or food is not usually seen.
Because Bronze Cories are so peaceful, selecting specific ratios of males to females is not really necessary, as long as you have a group of them, they will usually be fine.
Can I breed Bronze Corydoras in a 10 gallon tank?
Yes, breeding Bronze Cories in a 10 gallon is fairly easy and can be done if you know what you are doing.
One of the best ways to breed Cories in a 10 gallon is to move the adults between tanks, feed up the Cories in one tank to condition them.
Then move the adults to a 10 gallon setup and allow them to spawn.
Once the eggs have been laid, remove the adults and place them back to their “bench tank”.
Then raise the eggs and fry in the 10 gallon on their own, away from the dangers of being eaten by their parents.
What is the best filter for a 10 gallon Bronze Corydoras tank?
Most filters will work well in a Cory tank, however, those with higher oxygen output are best, as Cories are fish of the river, and do best in a high oxygen environment.
Filters we recommend are internal pumps that output a mild current or sponge filters, which are air powered and create a high amount of disturbance at the surface of the water.
Diffusion of oxygen is important in a Catfish tank, so make sure to aim the filter near the top where it will disturb the waterline and increase gaseous exchange.
10 gallon Bronze Cory tank maintenance
Cory cats aren’t awfully demanding fish and do not require a very high level of maintenance, however, they will need regular water changes and feeding like any other aquarium fish.
One thing to look out for in Bronze catfish is if they aren’t getting enough food.
As Cories are bottom feeders, they only get the food which makes its way to the floor of the tank, and if housed with more competitive, fast moving pelagic fish, they can often be outcompeted for food, and can quickly lose weight.
Maintenance in your Cory tank is making sure that enough food reaches the bottom of the tank and that your catfish are getting the right level of nutrition needed to stay fit and healthy.
This means feeding plenty of sinking foods like pellets, wafers and bloodworms.
Can I keep other fish with Bronze Corydoras in a 10 gallon tank?
Yes, Corydoras are a staple community fish, they are peaceful, can tolerate a range of water parameters, and are not easily picked on by other fish.
This gives you some variety in choice of tankmates, but keep in mind that a 10 gallon tank is a very small space for a community, so your options may be limited.
Here are a few suggestions that would be ideal:
- Guppies
- Glowlight Tetra
- Platies
- Kuhli Loach
- Galaxy Rasbora
- Endlers
Can I keep invertebrates with Bronze Corydoras in a 10 gallon tank?
Snails
Snails can work quite well with Cory cats, however, they can sometimes be outcompeted for food by the catfish.
So make sure if you want to keep snails and Cories together, that you feed plenty of sinking wafers, green beans and veggie matter for the snails.
Shrimp, crayfish and crabs
Arthropods like Shrimp, Crayfish and Crabs tend to not work so well, as Shrimps are often predated on by the catfish and Crayfish will grab and eat your Bronze Corydoras with their large claws.
While it can be done in some cases, the only invertebrates we really recommend keeping with Cory cats are snails.