buddies?

[jesssa]

Well today my sister bought three little albino corys but they are currently in my tank and will be moved to hers later this week. I have 5 silvertip tetras in my tank [a 20g community] and one is sort of an outcast. [its been an outcast for about 3 weeks now, kinda likes hanging out on its own, etc.] anyway, when i put the corys in, this tetra started to hang out with them. it chased the other fish away from them when they went near and stayed close to the corys. So I was wondering, do you think it would be ok if I gave this single tetra to my sister to put in her tank? The tank also houses a male betta. [I have to make sure this silvertip isn't sick or injured though first, as it seems to have lost the colouration that the other ones have, they are a pretty blush colour and the loner has turned {or maybe not, maybe the other ones changed and this one didnt change with them, I cant really tell} a pale clear-ish silver colour so I will isolate it before I put it in the other tank if I do].
Thanks in advance

 

[sylvia]

Fish have varying characters but the silver-tip still needs to have the company of its own kind strictly speaking... however, if it turns out healthy and it realy does like the cories (it could be hungry though - cories tend to dig up stuff ) you could try it - maybe get a couple more silver-tips and add them with it? You may find they shoal this way...

I think it's appropriate to tell you of my own experience with cories and other fish Zebra danios to be exact... Basicaly, I have 4 zebra danios (used to have six - one had TB when I got it and had to be euthanised... the other managed to jump through a hole that I've since sealed - R.I.P. silverfin and rip.). When I first put in 3 cories, the danios discovered that after feeding time, they could follow the cories around and eat some of the catfish morsels the cories missed. To make a long story short, 2 of the danios will still follow the cories (even at times when there's no food) and will actualy swim with their bellies touching the substrate - like the cories - right behind them. They seem to think they too, are catfish and some of the cories appear to feel the same way and will return this behaviour by swimming up to the top layers and shoaling with the danios...