Pygmy Cories in 10 Gallon?

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OliveFish05

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Hi! I was just wanting to hear people’s thoughts on Pygmy Corydoras in a 10 gallon tank. I have heard that 10 gallons is too small for them, but I have also heard that a group of 8 could be perfectly happy. I have a 10 gallon tank with a betta and was wondering if I could add my 6 Pygmy Cories from my 55 gallon tank to the bettas tank, if he got along with them. He’s pretty chill. My 10 gallon is on my dresser right now, but there is a space between my dresser and my desk that I could potentially upgrade to a 20 tall tank, if my parents allowed it
 
It is not the tank size, it is the Betta that prevents this. C. pygmaeus spends a great deal of time swimming in the upper water column. In fact, I rarely see my group on the sand, except when the food appears. The Betta may be docile now, on its own, but putting a group of active tiny fish in his territory is not advisable.
 
It is not the tank size, it is the Betta that prevents this. C. pygmaeus spends a great deal of time swimming in the upper water column. In fact, I rarely see my group on the sand, except when the food appears. The Betta may be docile now, on its own, but putting a group of active tiny fish in his territory is not advisable.
Thank you for the reply! So it is not advisable to see how they do, with careful supervision and a backup tank? The 10 gallons will be heavily planted, if that makes any difference. I of course do not want to put the cories in the 10 if they will be stressed and unhappy because of the betta, or if the betta will be bothered by their presence
 
Thank you for the reply! So it is not advisable to see how they do, with careful supervision and a backup tank? The 10 gallons will be heavily planted, if that makes any difference. I of course do not want to put the cories in the 10 if they will be stressed and unhappy because of the betta, or if the betta will be bothered by their presence

You will never (I hope) see me advising anyone to put their fish at risk just to see if the accepted understanding about "x" is or is not true.

Betta splendens seems to live solitary in its natural habitat which is still and sluggish waters, including rice paddies, swamps, roadside ditches, streams and ponds. Such an environment is not conducive to fish that require oxygenated waters so one can expect few if any non-anabantid species to live in such habitats. During the dry season, most Bettas are able to bury themselves in the bottom of their dried up habitat. There, they can live in moist cavities until water once again fills the depression during a rainy period. The fish can survive even if thick, clay mud is all that is left of the water. They do not survive total drying out of the bottom (Vierke 1988). There are very few fish species, and none that are found in the same habitats, that can manage life in such conditions, which is further evidence that the B. splendens is most likely a solitary species.

All anabantids are territorial; male bettas instinctively fight each other in defending their territory. For a fish that instinctively lives alone, and believes it must defend its territory to survive--both traits that are programmed into the species' DNA--this aggressiveness is likely to extend to any fish that dares enter the Betta's territory, which in most cases will be the tank space. And forcing the fish to "live" under such conditions is frankly inhumane.

Individual fish within a species do not always adhere to the "norm" for the species; this is true of all animals, including humans. But with fish, responsible aquarists should research the fish's behaviours, traits, and requirements, and then aim to provide accordingly. "Expectations" are as I said above programmed into the DNA, and we are not going to change them just because we may want to have a Betta in the tank with "x" fish species. Sometimes the Betta seems to co-operate with our experiment, but in many of these situations it may not last for long, eventually if not immediately. Fish that do succumb are likely being severely stressed, unseen to the aquarist until it is too late. And physical aggression is not the only concern; fish release pheromones and allomones, chemical communication signals that other fish read, and these can promote aggression that will in time weaken the fish to the point of death. There is no reason to risk the fish in one's attempt to prove scientific understanding wrong.
 
You will never (I hope) see me advising anyone to put their fish at risk just to see if the accepted understanding about "x" is or is not true.

Betta splendens seems to live solitary in its natural habitat which is still and sluggish waters, including rice paddies, swamps, roadside ditches, streams and ponds. Such an environment is not conducive to fish that require oxygenated waters so one can expect few if any non-anabantid species to live in such habitats. During the dry season, most Bettas are able to bury themselves in the bottom of their dried up habitat. There, they can live in moist cavities until water once again fills the depression during a rainy period. The fish can survive even if thick, clay mud is all that is left of the water. They do not survive total drying out of the bottom (Vierke 1988). There are very few fish species, and none that are found in the same habitats, that can manage life in such conditions, which is further evidence that the B. splendens is most likely a solitary species.

All anabantids are territorial; male bettas instinctively fight each other in defending their territory. For a fish that instinctively lives alone, and believes it must defend its territory to survive--both traits that are programmed into the species' DNA--this aggressiveness is likely to extend to any fish that dares enter the Betta's territory, which in most cases will be the tank space. And forcing the fish to "live" under such conditions is frankly inhumane.

Individual fish within a species do not always adhere to the "norm" for the species; this is true of all animals, including humans. But with fish, responsible aquarists should research the fish's behaviours, traits, and requirements, and then aim to provide accordingly. "Expectations" are as I said above programmed into the DNA, and we are not going to change them just because we may want to have a Betta in the tank with "x" fish species. Sometimes the Betta seems to co-operate with our experiment, but in many of these situations it may not last for long, eventually if not immediately. Fish that do succumb are likely being severely stressed, unseen to the aquarist until it is too late. And physical aggression is not the only concern; fish release pheromones and allomones, chemical communication signals that other fish read, and these can promote aggression that will in time weaken the fish to the point of death. There is no reason to risk the fish in one's attempt to prove scientific understanding wrong.
Thank you for your in depth response. I understand much better now. I won’t try it then. Thank you so so so much for being willing to explain it to me. I have only been around here for a short time, but it is so clear you are very experienced, have very reasonable opinions that you have so clearly considered from every point of view, and your responses and replies to threads are very well thought out and presented in a way that is helpful, informative, and unoffensive. Thank you very much, I do really appreciate it!
 
Thank you for your in depth response. I understand much better now. I won’t try it then. Thank you so so so much for being willing to explain it to me. I have only been around here for a short time, but it is so clear you are very experienced, have very reasonable opinions that you have so clearly considered from every point of view, and your responses and replies to threads are very well thought out and presented in a way that is helpful, informative, and unoffensive. Thank you very much, I do really appreciate it!

You are indeed very kind, and I appreciate the confidence. When any member asks a question, and is interested in the answer, I will do my best to explain. :drinks:
 
You are indeed very kind, and I appreciate the confidence. When any member asks a question, and is interested in the answer, I will do my best to explain. :drinks:
I appreciate that very much! I did not realize how many helpful people I would meet when I joined this forum. It has been a real joy
 

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