adding new fish to existing aquarium

Question
I'm new to fish.  I set up my aquarium in Sept 2011 and everything seems fine.  It's a 10 gallon tank and I have 1 Betta, 2 cory catfish and six neon tetras.  I was told by the pet shop that 2 cory catfish were fine but in reading about them I see they like to be in groups of 4-5.

I test the water at least once a week and do partial water changes every week.  I have no live plants, feed a variety of foods (frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, flakes, pellets, bottom feeding shrimp and algae wafers, etc).  The neons were babies when I got them and all the fish survived the change to my tank and seem happy.  I put everyone together at the same time and no one seems to be picking on anybody else.

My questions are:

1.  Can I add 3-4 more cory catfish to the 10 gallon tank?  Should I?  

2.  If so, how do I go about it?  I don't want to stress anyone else out, meaning the other fish, that is.  I think of them like my family.

Thank you for any advice you can give me.

Teresa

Answer
Hi Teresa,
Because you are a good fishkeeper, I see nothing wrong with adding more cories. I'm glad you are thinking about it because these little catfish are happier in groups.

The good news is cories are very peaceful and don't stress other fish. They mind their own busines quite well. So all you have to do is make sure to acclimate them to your aquarium. I prefer to float the bag for 15 minutes, then add half a cup of tank water to the bag, wait 15 more minutes and repeat at least once or twice. Then add your new cories by gently nettling them out. This way they are acclimated to the water chemistry as well as the temperature.

I wish you the best with your fishkeeping adventures!
Happy Holidays!
Susan~