5 gallon planted tank

[PeiMai]

Well I'm guessing that you are implying that I shouldn't have them in that tank. With the twenty filter and plants they both seem rather happy and have way more than enough room.

[CodeRed]

I don't think it's the filter in this situation, but the fact that cories are schooling fish, and generally do best in groups of 4+, usually around 6 is good. That many in a 5 gallon would be WAYY overstocked.

[Adastra]

I agree, cories are a schooling species. They shouldn't be kept in such small numbers--they won't be happy or feel secure in that setup.

To be honest there's just not many fish that can thrive in 5 gallons with a betta or without a betta. If I were you, I'd just settle for a betta with some snails, or shrimp if you must. Shrimp often end up eaten, however.

[Sarada]

Before I got more cories I had 2 with my betta in a 5 gallon...regardless of a filter the cories food make a mess of the substrate. I now have them in a group of 5 in my 20 gallon with some guppies/loaches....my 20 gallon is now over stocked .... sigh

[karlhague]

Originally Posted by PeiMai

Well I opted to get two really pretty Julii cory cats

Julli cory Cats prefer to be in groups of 6+.

I have 3 pygmy corries at the min, letting these settle in with my betta first, then going to go get 3 more

This is in an 8gal

[PeiMai]

Yeah so here's an update on the planted tank if anyone interested I'm experimenting with successfully over stocking 268% filtration plus plants. I'm using fairly docile tetras rasboras nd a female betta I fell stupid in love with. Its been a month an d a half and just had the water tested today.0 ppm ammonia close to zero nitrite and low nitrates. So far so good...p.s. the food for the corys seems to be just fine and the plants are growing like wild fire as well getting ready to trim my wisteria soon.

[Alex09]

I only had two cory cats in an old community tank (10 gal) they lived for 3-4 years just fine living off the tropical fish food flakes that sank to the bottom.

Putting a 20 gallon filter in a 10 gallon doesnt mean you can suddenly put in 2x as many fish. If that worked everyone would be doing it. Overfiltering the tank is good for messy fish like goldfish but its not necessarily good enough for overstocking. Since you already have a filter and decor and such just go to a LPS, buy an empty 10 gal for $10, move all your stuff to the 10 gal, and you'll be good to go.

[PeiMai]

Originally Posted by Alex09

I only had two cory cats in an old community tank (10 gal) they lived for 3-4 years just fine living off the tropical fish food flakes that sank to the bottom.

Putting a 20 gallon filter in a 10 gallon doesnt mean you can suddenly put in 2x as many fish. If that worked everyone would be doing it. Overfiltering the tank is good for messy fish like goldfish but its not necessarily good enough for overstocking. Since you already have a filter and decor and such just go to a LPS, buy an empty 10 gal for $10, move all your stuff to the 10 gal, and you'll be good to go.

only problem with that is the hood light and the potting soil and live plants.

[Sarada]

My 20 gallon has quickly become over stocked but I added a bunch more live plants and my water is still testing good.

[Alex09]

What you are doing is ridiculous. I only feel sorry for all the poor fish you have in there. You think everything is fine because the water is clean. We tried to explain the fact that fish have TERRITORIAL needs and need SWIMMING SPACE. A 5 gallon for that many fish is just not good enough. The tetras need more space (10 gallons minimum) and more numbers as tetras need to be keep in groups of 5+ to be happy. Im sorry to say that you are an irresponsible owner. We gave you all the information you needed but you continued to disregard it and pursue your own selfish needs. Yes, some experienced fishkeepers can SLIGHTLY overstock their tanks but 300% in a 5 gal is a disaster waiting to happen. It may take months but its still going to happen. I dont care how good your filter is or how many plants you have in there. In fact all that stuff just reduces the swimming space for the fish even more.