[RussellTheShihTzu]

Just so's you know, Pygmy Cory are not really bottom dwellers; they spend a majority of their time mid-tank. Salt and Pepper/Habrosus are the only true bottom dwelling small Cory.

 

[BettaloverSara]

Just so's you know, Pygmy Cory are not really bottom dwellers; they spend a majority of their time mid-tank. Salt and Pepper/Habrosus are the only true bottom dwelling small Cory.

So maybe my advice is an overstock then. I didn’t realize that about cory’s, I would have considered my pandas bottom dwellers. Learn something new every day!

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

You're right, Pandas are bottom dwellers. There may be others, but Pygmy and Hastatus are the only Cory of which I'm aware that are mid-tank dweller. They will go to the bottom but Habrosus stay there and constantly clean. My Pygmy and Hastatus have always spent more time leaf cleaning the Anubias.

So, nope, you didn't suggest overstocking.

 

[BettaloverSara]

You're right, Pandas are bottom dwellers. There may be others, but Pygmy and Hastatus are the only Cory of which I'm aware that are mid-tank dweller. They will go to the bottom but Habrosus stay there and constantly clean. My Pygmy and Hastatus have always spent more time leaf cleaning the Anubias.

So, nope, you didn't suggest overstocking.

That’s really good to know! I’ve never actually owned any pygmy but I thought them the same. So maybe the op could switch to pandas?

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

That’s really good to know! I’ve never actually owned any pygmy but I thought them the same. So maybe the op could switch to pandas?

Yep.

 

[Anastasia3rd]

Generally I go by a 1 gallon/inch of fish rule. So I don’t think you can fit a school of corries and a betta and tetras in your tanks. I’m not sure if it works differently if you have bottom and top dwellers though. (Edit : I’ve done some research and it looks like a school of 6 corries should be fine in a 10)

I would recommend shrimp ( maybe Amano or larger ghost). Honestly I can’t think of any bottom dwellers that are ideal for a 10 gallon.

 

[BettaloverSara]

It’s not really overstocking if they dwell in different levels of the tank and there is lots of plants to break up any chasing. If the schools are of adequate size the chasing usually isn’t too bad. Your bio load will be slightly higher so just keep regular cleanings and you will be fine.
I’m currently taking apart my divided 10 gal (don’t worry I didn’t lose any) and I plan to keep my one very docile betta in with a few endler guppies and maybe a school of cory’s if the endlers are successful. I have a 5 gal ready for the betta if we aren’t successful.

 

[sharpbutterknife]

Hello, I am setting up my first tank and I'm having a little freak-out. I was planning on putting 6 ember tetra a male betta and a bottom feeder in this 10 gallon but im worried there is to much hardscape. Please give me your feedback! View attachment 1025324

That looks awesome! The only I'd recommend is adding a bit more plants. Other than that its seems like you are going to have a very happy fish!

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Generally I go by a 1 gallon/inch of fish rule. So I don’t think you can fit a school of corries and a betta and tetras in your tanks. I’m not sure if it works differently if you have bottom and top dwellers though. (Edit : I’ve done some research and it looks like a school of 6 corries should be fine in a 10)

I would recommend shrimp ( maybe Amano or larger ghost). Honestly I can’t think of any bottom dwellers that are ideal for a 10 gallon.

I'm about to reveal how much trivia is kept in my head.

The one-inch-per-gallon was followed from the 1800 until the invention of filters. Before then, fast-growing plants were the only "filters" available. Post filters people started rethinking how to calculate how many fish in a tank. They developed a system based on amount of filtration, length of tank and species needs.

Although a bit conservative when factoring in Betta, this is a good calculator http://aqadvisor.com/

1 Betta + 6 Panda Cory + 6 Ember Tetra = 66% stocking.