5 Gal Bottom Feeders

[Gold]

I am particularly fond of bottom feeders (cory/catfish), but I am relatively new to all this.
I am intending on buying a 5/6 gal hexagon tank, and filling it with plenty of fake plants and bog wood, while the tank will be in a dim room out of sunlight. Perfect conditions for corys.

However I want to know which species will do best, and how many I can keep in the 5 gallon.

I am particularly fond of the smaller corys, such as the Panda and Salt & Pepper, which get to about 1-1.5 inches.
I was at first intending on buying 4 of either species for my soon to be tank.
Would that be ok? I know they are community fish, and they would be the only fish in the tank. I just want to make sure 4 in a 5/6 gallon would be ok, as many websites say many things.

Thanks
Gold ​

 

[wataugachicken]

probably not a good idea -a 5g is just too small to add more than a couple little, clean fish. if you haven't gotten it already, get a 10 or 20g instead. in a ten you could keep 4 small or 3 large ones with a 3-4 other fish, in a 20 you could get a couple small groups of 2 kinds. the initial investment may be higher (always good to get up early on saturday mornings and hit yard sales or check local classifieds for cheap used tank equipment) but with a larger tank you have more freedom to expand, and more of a buffer if anything goes wrong with water quality.

also, hex tanks tend to be higher rather than long or wide. they are tall with a minimal footprint. aside from water volume, bottom space is very important for those fish, another reason i would go with a more traditional shape and larger size.

 

[Gold]

Yeah i know what you mean, the reason i was going to choose a hex was because they are so readily available.

While the reason why I am choosing a 5 gallon, is the room, i would love to have a 10 gallon (second hand or not), but there is the fact of space.
But yeah, i have now decided im going to hunt harder for a more traditional shaped 5 gall tank, instead of the hex.
I have just found out the corys like to dash to the surface, hence like a generally shorter height tank.

So if i find a more rectangular 5 gallon, would you agree 3 Panda or Salt & Pepper corys would be ideal?

Gold