What fish can live with Bronze corydoras?

Pairs with most peaceful community fish: tetras, rasboras, livebearers, dwarf gouramis, otocinclus, shrimp, snails. Keep a group of six on smooth sand or rounded gravel. Avoid large cichlids like oscars and jack dempseys, and sharp substrate that abrades the barbels.

What tank mates should you avoid with Bronze corydoras?

Avoid Oscar, African Cichlid, Jack Dempsey based on size, temperament, or predation risk on file.

What size tank do Bronze corydoras need for a community?

100L is the planning floor for adult swimming space and bioload headroom. Long-term, a 122L+ tank lets adults use the full footprint without crowding the next species. Footprint, meaning length and front-to-back depth, matters as much as raw volume for active or territorial species.

Bronze corydoras tank mates

The cory most beginners buy. Tolerates a wider pH, temperature, and hardness range than almost any other cory. A solid first bottom-dweller for a community tank, given six fish on smooth substrate.

Evidence: verified

Confidence: high

Lists below are built from this species record (safest, best with, risky, unsafe) — each link opens a pair-level check, not a guarantee.

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Best tank mates (on file)

Merged from conservative safest and best with fields — de-duplicated by species.

Corydoras Catfish Pair check
The Bronze corydoras profile lists Corydoras Catfish as a safe tank mate. Corydoras Catfish schools in groups of 6 or more, so plan room for the whole group rather than one fish.
Dwarf Gourami Pair check
The Bronze corydoras profile lists Dwarf Gourami as a recommended pairing. Dwarf Gourami swims in the top zone while Bronze corydoras stays in the bottom, so the two will not crowd the same water column.
Ember Tetra Pair check
The Bronze corydoras profile lists Ember Tetra as both safe and a recommended pairing. Ember Tetra schools in groups of 8 or more, so plan room for the whole group rather than one fish. Ember Tetra swims in the middle zone while Bronze corydoras stays in the bottom, so the two will not crowd the same water column.
Guppy Pair check
The Bronze corydoras profile lists Guppy as both safe and a recommended pairing. Guppy swims in the top zone while Bronze corydoras stays in the bottom, so the two will not crowd the same water column.
Harlequin Rasbora Pair check
The Bronze corydoras profile lists Harlequin Rasbora as a recommended pairing. Harlequin Rasbora schools in groups of 6 or more, so plan room for the whole group rather than one fish. Harlequin Rasbora swims in the middle zone while Bronze corydoras stays in the bottom, so the two will not crowd the same water column.
Neon Tetra Pair check
The Bronze corydoras profile lists Neon Tetra as both safe and a recommended pairing. Neon Tetra schools in groups of 6 or more, so plan room for the whole group rather than one fish. Neon Tetra swims in the middle zone while Bronze corydoras stays in the bottom, so the two will not crowd the same water column.

Risky or situational

From risky tank mates and broad avoid with (excluding “unsafe” below). May work with species-only setups, more water, or mature systems — read the pair page.

Angelfish Open pair check
Angelfish reaches 20cm and is flagged predatory or as likely to eat small fish. Adult-size Bronze corydoras at 6cm is inside that gape range. Angelfish is rated semi-aggressive, so expect chasing, fin damage, or display behaviour directed at Bronze corydoras. Run the pair checker before stocking.
German Blue Ram Open pair check
Marked risky or situational on the profile. Tank length and group size change the outcome more than a temperament label does.
Tiger Barb Open pair check
Tiger Barb is rated semi-aggressive, so expect chasing, fin damage, or display behaviour directed at Bronze corydoras. Run the pair checker before stocking.
Green Terror Open pair check
Green Terror reaches 30cm and is flagged predatory or as likely to eat small fish. Adult-size Bronze corydoras at 6cm is inside that gape range. Green Terror is rated aggressive, so expect chasing, fin damage, or display behaviour directed at Bronze corydoras. Run the pair checker before stocking.

Fish to avoid with Bronze corydoras

From the unsafe list — predation, aggression, or space rules on this profile.

Oscar See why (pair)
Oscar reaches 35cm and is flagged predatory. Bronze corydoras at 6cm is prey-sized for it. Oscar needs at least 300L, far above the 100L minimum for Bronze corydoras. The tank that houses one stresses the other. Oscar is rated aggressive and Bronze corydoras is rated peaceful. No community-style planning carries that gap.
African Cichlid See why (pair)
African Cichlid reaches 15cm and is flagged predatory. Bronze corydoras at 6cm is prey-sized for it. African Cichlid is rated aggressive and Bronze corydoras is rated peaceful. No community-style planning carries that gap.
Jack Dempsey See why (pair)
Jack Dempsey reaches 25cm and is flagged predatory. Bronze corydoras at 6cm is prey-sized for it. Jack Dempsey is rated aggressive and Bronze corydoras is rated peaceful. No community-style planning carries that gap.

Tank size and groups

Published minimum for Bronze corydoras: 100L — group minimum 6 (schooling).
Compatibility changes when the tank is too short for turning, too little for a real school, or too warm for one species and not the other — that is why pair checks include tank context, not only temperament.
Nearest litre hub to this minimum: 100L hub.

Plan before you buy

Pair checks for every mix, then multi-species stocking in the builder.

Open compatibility checker Tank builder

Filtration & heating

A 100L minimum tank for Bronze corydoras needs a filter rated for at least 400L/hr turnover and a heater maintaining 20–28°C.

Filter buying guide →Heater buying guide →Beginner plants guide →