If you are looking to add live plants to a fish tank that is home to Corydoras, then one of the most beginner friendly options available is Java Moss. You can take a look at this Aquarium Blueprints article to see what are the benefits, as well as potential drawbacks, of keeping these two in the same tank.
Benefits
The biggest benefit of putting Java Moss in your Corydoras tank is that this plant does a great job at consuming ammonia and nitrates.
For the uninformed, Cory Cats and other fish in your aquarium will produce wastes, which will eventually decompose into ammonia. The nitrifying bacteria from your biological filter will convert ammonia to nitrites and then nitrites to nitrates.
Small traces of ammonia can end up being deadly to your Cories. Long term exposure to high nitrates can also cause health issues.
Once it established itself, Java Moss can grow quickly and keep up with the ammonia and nitrates being produced in your aquarium. As a result, you should able to keep the tank water healthy.
Another neat feature about Java Moss is that you can attach it to anything on your fish tank. We have seen it attached itself to rocks, décor, wood and even our heater.
Furthermore, the plant is extremely easy to keep once it managed to fully acclimate to your aquarium. We are able to grow the plant with no fish tank lighting or fertilizers. With that said, you may want to add some supplements if you want to grow out the moss as a faster rate.
Drawbacks
The biggest drawback when it comes to keeping Java Moss with Corydoras is that the stringy plant will trap food, preventing it from dropping down to the substrate. Since Cories are bottom-feeding fish, this can be an issue.
With that said, you can simply drop the food in another area of the tank during meals.
Do Corydoras like Java Moss?
From our experience, our Albino Cory Cats (which has the scientific name of Corydoras aeneus) are somewhat indifferent to the Java Moss. We may see them sitting on the vines of the moss once in a while but the mostly prefer to stay on the substrate or smooth rocks.
Despite having Java Moss take over our 55-gallon tank, these fish don’t get caught up in the mess of vines as they are strong enough to swim their way through.
When it comes to breeding, our Albino Corydoras prefer using the glass panels to lay eggs as opposed to Java Moss.
Recap
Java Moss is a great plant to keep with Corydoras as it is low maintenance in addition to helping keep the ammonia and nitrate levels in your tank in check.
The only potential issue you may have to deal with is that the vines of the moss could end up trapping food that you intended to drop down to the substrate for your Cory Cats. In this case, you can simply find a better location to feed the bottom-feeding fish.
