Bottom dweller for a small tank

[Mvjnz]

I have a 22 litre tank with 5 killies in it. I really like bottom dweller so I've been thinking maybe put some in. Not for cleaning purposes or anything like that, just because I like them.

How would 1 bristlenose or 5 pymgy cories go in a tank this size? any other suggestions?

[angelcakes]

pygmy cories should be fine:19: :19:

[mac]

Hi,
Pygmy Corys will be fine. Just with a 22lt tank having 5 Killies, I would already think the tank is over stocked.
macquatic

[Mvjnz]

If my tank is overstocked, why would pygmy cories be fine?

I don't see how it is overstocked tho, as the killies are tiny and look like they might get lost in a tank this size.

[abaigael04]

I don't know much about Killi's but you may be overstocked if you add the pygmy cories - mostly because they are schooling fish and need to have a few of them in there to be happy. Definitely no Plec.

[DragonGoby]

I'm sorry, I don't think you can put 5 pygmies cories in a 22 liters (If I'm correct, it's about 5 gal).
We wanted to put some of them in a 5 gal too, but it appeared they need to be in big school (or shoal, I'm not sure) and you need lot of space for this number of fish. I've been recommended to put them in a 10 gal, no less.

As for the killies, what type of killyfish it is? they're certainly small now but they certainly going to grow.

for bottom better, you can try to find some small stone catfish (Hara jerdoni or Hara hara). Ask Fishalicious, she has some really good info on small fish for small tank...

Best of luck and keep us informed.

[Mvjnz]

They are Nigerian killies, which only require 20 litres for the first fish. A lot of breeders keep trios in much smaller tanks. They have reached their full size, as I've had them for 2 months, and they are very short lived, so they won't get any bigger.

Thanks for the suggestions on the catfish tho. I'll look into that:)

[Sasquatch]

Another often overlooked option would be shrimp. You could easily get a dozen or so cherry shrimp in that tank. They would add a lot of activity without overdoing the bioload.

I agree that pigmy cories aren't the best for such a small tank. Also pigmies are one of the rare cories that aren't bottom dwellers ... so if that's what your looking for they not the right choice either.

[mac]

Hi,

If my tank is overstocked, why would pygmy cories be fine?

Yes very good question. Well your tank would be fine to have them in the tank. If there where no other fish, just the Corys. And that would be only just.
macquatic

[Mvjnz]

Shrimp are very difficult to come by in these parts, and I doubt that the killies would leave them alone anyway.

The hara jerdoni looks kewl tho, if I can come by one I might go with that.

Thanks.

[Sasquatch]

Shrimp are very difficult to come by in these parts, and I doubt that the killies would leave them alone anyway.

The hara jerdoni looks kewl tho, if I can come by one I might go with that.

Thanks.

Just make sure they're healthy and eating when you buy them. We got a couple of Hara hara this winter and they'd suffered a cold snap during transport to the LFS. They seemed to be doing fine, but eventually stopped eating and slowly died ... we weren't very happy.

[Mvjnz]

Thanks for the advice... How much were they?

[Sasquatch]

Thanks for the advice... How much were they?

I think they were about 5$ each.

[Mvjnz]

That's pretty good:)

I thought they would be ridiculously expensive, judging by the lack of information about them online and that hardly anyone in any forum has heard of them:)

[kaoticice]

I never seen those anywhere in my life. but they look neat!
tell me if u find them :19:
And about the stocking.. what is the dimensions of the tank?.. For me personally, volume of the tank isn't that significant as long as the dimensions of the tank is appropriate. If im basing your tank dimensions with the standard dimension, i'm guessing your tank have a length about 16" which is about 4" shorter than a standard 10 gallon. Just in my humble opinion, you can easily getaway with keeping 5-6 pygmy corydoras :)

[Mvjnz]

Yes, it is about 16" in length.

I'm very tempted to go with the cories, but I just found an ad in a different forum for some small peppermint bristlenoses, and they are pretty cheap for their kind, so if he still has some left I might go with 2 of those. They'll be fine for a while seeing as they are still very small, and when they get bigger I can either swap them for small ones or put them in my bigger tank and hope they breed:)

[DragonGoby]

@ Mvjnz: If I remember correctly, Fishalicious got some Hara jerdoni or hara. You can try to pm her for some more informations. You could find some too on a forum like Planet Catfish... Or try to find some scientific articles on them in biology :14: . That's what we have done with Sasquatch.

@kaoticice: I'm not sure about having pygmies corrys in a 5 gal.
I know they're small but as said before by Sasquatch, they're not really bottom dwellers. They tend to take lots because they swim in the middle level of the tank, and so need lots of space and plants .
I'm not sure there's enough space in a 5 gal, whatever the dimension, for them to be happy.
I repeat that because when we established our 5 gal, we wanted so badly pygmies corry... And I remember having lots of member here saying the same thing I tell you now... It was a major heartbreaker for me... Until we found about the Hara catfish...:11:
But as you said, it's only my humble opinion too...:thumb:

[KrytterKrys]

what about a few otos, they stay pretty small

[Mvjnz]

Yes, I have thought of ottos. They are a bit delicate tho,and it would just suck if they start dying off on me:(

[kaoticice]

ohh.. why didn't i think about otos.. hmm,,,:11:

In Australia, otos are actually pretty expensive and rare. One of my lfs carry some but cost about $11 each :(

I think frequent death of otos are due to the fact that they aren't very good at adapting the aquarium environments. Look for ottos that have been in your lfs for about a week+, and if they're still healthy i'm pretty sure they'll also be happy in ur tank.

[Mvjnz]

I just had a thought.. how about 2 or 3 pitbull plecos? They're otto sized... Are they more common than ottos?

[kaoticice]

Not really sure, and haven't check it in any lfs before. But from the look of it.. it may be another rare creature.
maybe you could post a buying thread on some of these rare plecos in this forum. [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Mvjnz]

Sometimes living in Australia sucks:(

I'll post a buying thread and see what happens.

Thanks:)

[KrytterKrys]

wow they're that much down there? that sucks,they're only like $2 here!

[kaoticice]

yeah unfortunately :( T__T

But we do have rainbowfish xD

[terrapin24h]

otos? touchy? Huh. My two seem pretty tough, and due to my tank's affinity for brown diatoms, very busy. The biggest concern i've read about them is that they need ALOT of food, so if you get more than a couple, you need to supplement thier food, and they are absolute strict vegetarians. Also, they way they are caught tends to stress them, and that's generally why they die. I had fin rot break out in my tank and decimate my live bearers, and through it all the otos are fine, antibiotics and all.

[Mvjnz]

Yes, I'm aware that they are not really as delicate as they seem, it's just from transport and not being fed much at the store that they are not usually very healthy when you buy them, and so some of them tend to die off within the first week. Once they make it past the first week and they are fed heaps when you bring them home they are fine and will live for a long time.