Betta With Pygmy Corys

[snazy]

Hi guys and girls, long time no see but I am back with a literally very small project and a small question.
I have a 7 gallon tank that I am taking apart. It has an undergravel filter at the moment which will be replaced with normal internal, sand and plants

I've already bought 6 tiny pygmy cories that are going to be moved there once the tank is set up.

My guestion is, would a betta be suitable as well to go in? Do I need anything special for the betta decoration wise(only if suitable in such a small tank)


Thank you!!!

 

[pablothebetta]

I have kept pygmys and a betta in a 7.4 gallon before, though in the end I decided the corys would be better in a larger tank. Don't know how yours will behave, but mine tended to be rather inactive and remained hiding at the back a lot. I think so long as a betta didn't mind the 'company', you'd get away with it - though my own experiences make me think a 10 gallon would probably be more suited for the pygmys and would also allow for a couple more imo. You can see how things go though - perhaps your experience will be quite different to mine.

Decoration wise, I'd avoid any plants/ornaments with sharp or coarse parts/edges. Plastic plants often seem to be left out for those sorts of reasons.

Bear in mind though that the betta may not like the idea of the corys in there with him, so a store that wouldn't mind swapping fish may be an idea. However, if the corys are added first, the betta is less likely to be agressive towards them as he will be going into their territory, rather than the other way around. If a betta didn't work out, microrasbora, endlers, ember tetras or other small 'nano' fish may work instead.

 

[snazy]

Thanks.

 

[HannahBear77]

so your betta doesnt claim the whole tank as his i would defaintly put the cories in the tank first then add the betta
if you dont wanna do live plants you can do silk plants and add in a floating plant (i just used my plants i dont use much any more, took the weight off and left them floating on top) once they get use to the idea of the floating plant they will probably love it and you for having some thing to rest on at the top

 

[snazy]

I haven't got a betta yet but I was considering getting one. The corys are in one of my other tanks at the moment and they'll be moved first once the tank is setup and cycled. I am not pushed to get a betta if the corys will be endangered in anyway. Has anyone kept these together with no casualties or should I just pass. The tank is maybe too small for 6 pygmies and a betta? What do you think?

 

[HannahBear77]

i had albino cories in with one of my males, at first he didnt care for them and kept poking at them but he never killed any of them and left them alone after awhile

 

[OldMan47]

That sounds like curiosity to me HannahBear. Nobody ever said that bettas were not curious, they are.
A tiny tank like a 7 gallon can be used for a betta with no trouble and I have found, over the last 50 or so years, that bettas do appreciate some company to keep them active. The suggestion to avoid sharp artificial plants that pablo gave was a good one. I prefer real plants in all of my tanks but it can be hard to get enough light for a 7 gallon for anything but maybe Anubias nana or Java fern to grow well.

 

[snazy]

Got a betta, finally. He was imprisoned in a 1 litre box in the fish shop and looking very rough so I decided to save him. He is a blue/red crown tail but his top fins appear to be torn and I am not yet certain if he has fin rot or not.

I hadn't added the pygmy cories though as 3 out of the original 6 I purchased died shortly after purchase 2 months ago and I am afraid to stress them again. The 3 survivors seem to be fine with the platies/guppies.
I removed the undergravel from the 7g and added a normal internal filter, and I am surprised that it cycled in no time(1 day) with media from my cycled tanks. The betta is in and he seems active, not lying on the bottom or anything like it, but he spits his food out. I tried several and he spat all of them. He wasn't interested in blood worms either. I left 2-3 worms just to see and he eventually ate them after 5 hours!!! I tried to give him a flake today, no interest.... I only got him yesterday though so not sure if it's normal or not.

Since he is the first inhabitant of the tank, is it dangerous adding the pygmy cories now? I don't want to risk the 3 I have left?
I'll also try to upload a picture in case someone can tell me if he needs medicating for the fins or not.

 

[Livewire88]

I have had success adding Pygmy Corries to a tank wich allready had a Betta in.

Yeah the Betta will more than likley chase them round for a bit but once he finds out he cant catch them he will give up, and now the Betta will happily allow the Pygmys swim past him without bothering to chase them.

And as allways remember every Betta is different so you will just have to keep an eye on him whilst everything settles in

 

[Essjay]

I also have pygmy cories with a betta, he doesn't seem to know they exist. But I'd wait a few days before putting yours in with your betta - you need to keep an eye on betta for a while since you aren't sure if he has finrot. Once you're sure he's OK, then move the cories.

 

[snazy]

I'll wait for a while to make sure he is not sick. I think he loves his new tank anyway and is quite lively, which is a good sign for now.

 

[FishFanatic04]

snazy where've ya been?!

 

[snazy]

snazy where've ya been?!

I've been lazy and busy How are the tanks going after the disaster? Do you have any journal going I can look at?

I added 5 clowns to my big tank a few months ago. My camera charger has disappeared misteriously and I can't get a video up but they chase a lazer beam!!! It's so funny. I accidentally tried it while playing with the cat. And I finally have a betta. So far he is not very interesting but he is getting on great in his new home. He was the ugliest in the fish shop but I felt sorry for him

 

[FishFanatic04]

sounds fun with the loaches!! lol Bettas will always win in the end.
Going ok for me, I ended up with a breeding pair of Boliians rams, but some new cories brought in velvet which is kicking their butts (and mine) Can't buy healthy fish here, i swear. Moving soon, so that will be solved. Just finished the antibiotics for the fish TB.

Glad to know things are well for you. You were such a help those months ago, mostly for my sanity lol

 

[snazy]

Glad you are ok too. On the bright side, velvet isn't as bad as what you had to deal with before

I was pretty scared when I added the clown loaches without quarantine after reading how succeptible to ich they are but so far so good. They were hiding for a month and coming out in the evening only, bunched in a group but now they are out all the time, scattered around the tank on their own,racing the glass alongside the corys, swim up for food and make loud clicking noises. I just can't believe they chase the lazer beam!!! The rest of the fish don't seem to see it at all. If someone has clown loaches and reading this, try it out. It's unbelievable.

I added 6 pygmy cories in my other tank and 3 of them died soon after. They must be really sensitive because I never get casualties when buying fish....They are so small and cute though and are now schooling with the platies. I am afraid to move them to the betta tank. I am not even sure if they can be happy in a 7 gallon, though for 3 of them there's plenty of space most importantly sand. I've decreased the filter flow to the minimum and the surface is almost still so that's another negative for the cories but the betta loves it.