Cories and betta plakat 2gether?

[Baba1969]

Hello everyone! For a few years now I have had bettas (Plakats, not the long-finned splendens that everyone knows), and for the past 8-9 months or so, I have had my plakat in a 10 gallon tank with 5 albino cories and three emerald green cories (two smaller males and one fat female). Anyway, they all seem to get along just fine, and I have really been finding a lot of enjoyment watching my cory cats! Even more so than watching my betta. Well, my betta (who I HAVE bred in the past) requires quite warm water, especially when nesting and breeding (between 80-83 degrees F). But normally the bettas like a water temp. of 78-80 degrees F....which I hear the cories like as well. However, I recently realized that my chubby female has developed her "breeding colors" and her once pale belly has turned a pinkish color.

My question is this: When I intend to breed my bettas, I must separate them into a separate tank, raise the temperature quite a bit and acclimate the breeding pair to each other. In order to breed my cory cats, must I change the water temperature at all? Can I just leave them in the community tank as they are or should I put the breeding pair in a separate tank? I read many different things in this area.

Thank you all for any help you can give to a new catfish lover!!!!

-Baba

[calicocat]

Hi,
I have 3 breeding pairs of julii cories and I have done nothing to get them to breed. If you keep your water quality as close to perfect as you can get it, they will breed like mad. I wouldn't put the cories in a different tank, I would leave them in the community tank and move the eggs over into a smaller tank so they wont get eaten and you can treat the eggs for fungus (cory eggs are very tasty to other fish and are very susceptable to fungus).
Calicocat

[Baba1969]

Thanx for your reply, Calicocat! With what would I treat the eggs? And how would I do that? Would I just put the fungal treatment into the entire 10 gallon tank? Also, do you think that if I put in a lot more plants and hiding places, the betta may stop his "teasing"??? (He doesnt do it often, but every now and then, he goes on this kick where he just chases and torments all the cory cats and I guess they dont have quite enough spaces for them to hide.)

Thanks for the advice!
-Baba

[LeeRoy]

baba1969

I would think that adding a few more plants might give the cory's a little more cover.

If you have another tank I would set it up to spawn the cory's in, It would be for the spices of cory's that you want to spawn. I do not mix the spices of fish that I wish to spawn. That is just the one spices of cory, or one spices of pleco, the one spices of cichlid and the same for any other fish. In this way a person does not add to the hybreds, or mutt fish as I call them.

The best in your spawning of your fish.

LeeRoy

[Baba1969]

I hadnt thought of that, really! I just assumed that each species stuck to their own. No? Okay, good to know. I do have more tanks, I guess I can move the albino(s) into another 10 gallon tank. Thanks for the advice!!! -Baba

[calicocat]

Hi,
Adding more plants would make the cories alot happier as well as the betta.

As for the medication for the eggs, the fungus medication would be perfect at a half dose, but I wouldn't treat them in that tank, I would move the eggs over into another tank and treat them in there. This helps ensure that they wont get eaten (lots of fish love to eat cory eggs) and means that you wont have to treat all the fish. To get the eggs of the glass, all you need to do is roll them (very carefully) and they should just come off. After the eggs have hatched, take the medication out of the water and add some plants. I have found that baby cories are alot happier and healthier when they are raised in a planted tank.

Calicocat