# Sorority - How Many Corys?



## Tristyn (Sep 12, 2014)

Hey all! First of all, I think this is the right thread but I apologize if not. I've been browsing this forum for years and finally took the time to register and post a question.

Background: I have just started a female betta sorority in a 20 gallon, very well planted established tank with very fine gravel substrate and a mix of live and fake plants. I have 8 females in the tank currently with 2 very small nerite snails. The girls are having a few small fights and chases, but nothing worse than one small tear on two of the girls tails (fingers crossed). So, so far so good as day 2 ends. The tank is cycled and I am going to wait at least 2 weeks before I add more stock, just so everyone can settle down and the cycle can catch up to the stronger load. My filter is an AquaClear 30. I'm planning on weekly 50ish% water changes.

Question: I am hoping to add some albino cory cats to the tank in two weeks to a month. I've been reading a lot of mixed information, so I thought I'd just ask here. How many corys can I have in this set up? I know they need to be in groups, so I thought perhaps 5 would be alright. Does that sound good? If so, would that be a fully stocked tank or would I be alright to add tetras or shrimp as well? Besides the corys, I've considered skirt tetras and cherry shrimp but I'm fine without either of those if it would be too much. I'm basically just making a list of my options and the maximum load this tank can take. Any thoughts would be very appreciated!


----------



## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

Is it a long or a regular 20? A regular 20 is a little small for albinos. You could do juliis, pandas, or any other type that stays smaller.

Black skirts get to large for a 20 and MAY go after the girls fins. Cherry shrimp, if heavily planted (with live plants) you could do. 

I would skip on any schooling fish, just the look i persoanly like with a sorority.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Tristyn (Sep 12, 2014)

tankman12 said:


> Is it a long or a regular 20? A regular 20 is a little small for albinos. You could do juliis, pandas, or any other type that stays smaller.
> 
> Black skirts get to large for a 20 and MAY go after the girls fins. Cherry shrimp, if heavily planted (with live plants) you could do.
> 
> ...


It's a regular 20 >< Knew I was forgetting something. Darn on the albinos though, since that's all I've seen so far locally. I'll keep my eye out for pandas or juliis though.

I did worry about the black skirts, so that information helps. Schooling fish weren't something I was seriously looking at since the girls seem to be plenty on that level, but I figured I'd toss them into the question just in case I changed my mind.

The tank is pretty heavily planted with live plants, mostly anubias and java fern but I do have a HUGE clump of java moss, as well as 4 or 5 moss balls that are currently in quarantine.


----------



## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Get *Pygmy *Corys if you can, they stay tiny and can be kept in a school in as small as a 10g, so 20g should be fine for them. Not all lfs carry them though. I've been thinking of turning my 20g long into a betta and pygmy cory tank with + the 3 otos that are in there (would grow their #s though).


----------



## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

Ya you could do a final stock this;
8 bettas
2 nerites
6 juliis or 8 pandas or like 12 of a dwarf type
Cherry shrimp colony
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Tristyn (Sep 12, 2014)

I'll try to find Pygmy Cories but unless Petsmart or Petco stocks them, the changes are about zero. Our last LFS that would have likely had them closed in June. We literally have no LFS in the area anymore sadly.  

That stock list looks great tankman, thanks. Its basically what I was hoping for in the end. The more I research it, the more I think one of the two chains should have Pandas or Juliis eventually. I know I've seen spotted corys before at one of them, I just don't know which exact species they were xD


----------



## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

Petco and petsmart always have juliis, never saw pandas. Spotted are known as peppered, one of the largest types, IME.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Tristyn (Sep 12, 2014)

This might be a silly question but I know pet stores often mislabel their fish, so would Petco/Petsmart actually call them Juliis if they're in stock?


----------

