Peppered cory tank mates

Peppered cory: peaceful, 2.8 in, kept in groups of 6 or more, swims in the bottom of the tank and needs about 22 gallons. The list below checks every species in our catalog against it.

Each species is checked against peppered corys both ways: mouth size, fin nipping, temperament, territory, water overlap and keeper reports.

Good tank mates

Neon tetra
Paracheirodon innesi
Fits
The classic community fish: a tight school of electric-blue stripes that suits planted tanks of 15 gallons and up.
1.2 in · 17+ gal · 70–77°F · pH 5–7
Harlequin rasbora
Trigonostigma heteromorpha
Fits
Copper-orange schooling fish with a black wedge; hardy, calm and a good first school for a 15–20 gallon tank.
1.4 in · 17+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 6–7
Fancy guppy
Poecilia reticulata
Fits
Colourful livebearers with flowing tails; prefer harder water and breed readily, so plan for fry.
1.4 in · 13+ gal · 75–81°F · pH 7–8
Panda corydoras
Corydoras panda
Fits
Friendly armoured catfish that sift the sand in groups; need soft substrate and a group of six or more.
1.6 in · 17+ gal · 72–77°F · pH 6–7.2
Otocinclus
Otocinclus vittatus
Fits
Tiny algae grazers for mature planted tanks; keep six or more and supplement with vegetables.
1.4 in · 17+ gal · 72–79°F · pH 6–7.2
Cherry shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
Fits
Bright red dwarf shrimp that graze all day and breed in a planted tank; tiny bioload, but fry are snacks for most fish.
1.6 in · 4+ gal · 72–75°F · pH 6.5–7.8
Betta
Betta splendens
Fits
The Siamese fighting fish: one male per tank, warm still water, and no long-finned or nippy tank mates.
2.8 in · 11+ gal · 72–86°F · pH 6–7.5
Angelfish
Pterophyllum scalare
Fits
Tall, graceful cichlids for tall tanks of 30 gallons and up; adults eat neon tetras and shrimp, so stock around them.
3.5 in · 32+ gal · 77–84°F · pH 6–7
Tiger barb
Puntigrus tetrazona
Fits
Bold, fast barbs that nip fins; great in a busy group of ten, a poor match for slow or long-finned fish.
2.2 in · 32+ gal · 72–79°F · pH 6–7.5
Amano shrimp
Caridina multidentata
Fits
The best-known algae-eating shrimp, made famous by Takashi Amano; bigger than cherries and a good fit for planted community tanks.
2 in · 7+ gal · 72–77°F · pH 6.5–7.5
Black neon tetra
Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi
Fits
A peaceful tetra with a bright white-over-black stripe; hardier than the neon tetra and an easy fit in any calm community tank.
1.4 in · 23+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 5.5–7.5
Black widow tetra
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Fits
A hardy, deep-bodied tetra with black 'skirt' fins; easy for beginners, but a small group nips the fins of its tank mates.
2.4 in · 22+ gal · 68–79°F · pH 6–7
Blood parrot cichlid
hybrid
Fits
A man-made hybrid cichlid with a round body and a beak-like mouth that barely closes; usually gentle and rarely able to swallow tank mates.
7.9 in · 36+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6.5–8
Bristlenose pleco
Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus
Fits
The go-to glass cleaner: a compact 5-inch pleco with bushy whiskers on the males that needs a cave and vegetables, not just algae.
4.9 in · 17+ gal · 70–79°F · pH 5.5–7.5
Bronze cory
Corydoras aeneus
Fits
The most widely kept cory: a tough bronze-green or albino catfish that shoals along the bottom and handles a broad range of water.
3 in · 23+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 6–8
Cardinal tetra
Paracheirodon axelrodi
Fits
The neon's close cousin, with red running the full length of the belly; a soft, acidic-water schooling fish that likes it warmer than neons.
1.4 in · 17+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 4–6
Cherry barb
Puntius titteya
Fits
One of the most peaceful barbs: males glow cherry red and leave fins alone, making it great for planted community tanks.
2 in · 17+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 6–8
Common pleco
Pterygoplichthys pardalis
Fits
The classic store 'algae eater' that grows to nearly two feet, fouls the water and eats less algae with age; a fish for very large tanks only.
22.8 in · 203+ gal · 77–82°F · pH 7–7.5
Discus
Symphysodon aequifasciatus (species complex)
Fits
The 'king of the aquarium': a disc-shaped Amazon cichlid in countless bred colours that needs warm, soft, very clean water.
5.5 in · 80+ gal · 79–86°F · pH 5–7
Dwarf gourami
Trichogaster lalius
Fits
A bright little gourami popular with beginners; one male per tank, no bettas, and buy carefully, as imported fish often carry an incurable iridovirus.
3 in · 18+ gal · 72–81°F · pH 6–7.5
Fairy cichlid
Neolamprologus brichardi
Fits
A graceful Tanganyika cichlid with a lyre tail; one pair grows into a family colony that guards its rocks year-round.
3.5 in · 34+ gal · 73–79°F · pH 8–9
Firemouth cichlid
Thorichthys meeki
Fits
A Central American cichlid with a fiery red throat it flares when threatened; fairly calm for a cichlid but territorial when breeding.
4.7 in · 34+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 6.5–8.5
Glowlight tetra
Hemigrammus erythrozonus
Fits
A small, translucent tetra with a glowing orange stripe along its body; peaceful, hardy and at its best in a densely planted tank.
1.6 in · 22+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 6–7.5
Goldfish
Carassius auratus
Fits
The coldwater classic with hundreds of breeds; lives 10–15 years or more, makes lots of waste and needs a roomy, well-filtered tank.
5.9 in · 24+ gal · 50–75°F · pH 6.5–8

And 72 more in the species catalog.

Risky

And 10 more in the species catalog.

Avoid

And 19 more in the species catalog.

Every tank is different. Set yours up once (size, water, who already lives there) and each species is checked against it.

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