PlanetCatfish.com

Hi everyone. I'm new don't hurt me
I'm getting a betta in a few weeks and I'd like to get some other fish to keep him company. I've heard that cories make good tankmates for bettas but I thought I should ask the experts first! I've already got some bronze cories and peppered cories in my other tank so I'd like to get something different this time. Ideally I would like some pygmy cories- are these compatible with bettas? Or would another kind of cory be better?
Thanks for your replies

I had 3 beta fish in my 50 gallon community aquarium. There was 2 females and 1 male. They were fine for about 2 weeks but then they all got a serious case of fungus and died. I think they were stressed out because there was too much current in my tank. I have 3 different filters in the aquarium. If there was less current they could've survived. They were fine with the other fish. As long as you have peaceful fish and not much water currents, you can keep them in your main aquarium.

Bettas & tankmates are hit & miss. It depends on the individual's personality (not on gender).

If you do introduce them watch them closely for some time. Some bettas will bite; others see the tankmate and then ignore it.

With pygmies, I think it's be a tragedy to put them in with one that nips. I bought a trio and later discovered one was missing an eye! It's not as fun for him in a new tank.

hi, i had a similar experience;
we had a male fighter to three females, and my corys, mainly the tiny pandas were getting a bit nipped at.
sadly we lost all the fighters in a nasty bout of bacterial infection, all in the space of a couple of hours =(
however, now my pandas couldn't be happier!

Thanks for all your replies I think the best course of action is to get my betta and see what he's like before I introduce anything else. I've got a spare aquarium so I think I'll set that up too so I've got somewhere to evacuate to if things go wrong! Better to be safe than sorry, right?

Bettas & tankmates are hit & miss. It depends on the individual's personality (not on gender).

If you do introduce them watch them closely for some time. Some bettas will bite; others see the tankmate and then ignore it.

I agree with this. I kept a male veil tail betta with my panda corydoras before and they got along very well. The betta never harmed any of the corys and I once caught him swimming very low so that his fins touched the corys. But when my bf kept a betta with his pandas, the betta bit one cory and the cory eventually died. Isn't it strange how fish can have a "personality"? But I guess there is no better way to put it.

Hope you find a "nice" betta.

bettinacharlotta wrote:I had 3 beta fish in my 50 gallon community aquarium. There was 2 females and 1 male. They were fine for about 2 weeks but then they all got a serious case of fungus and died. I think they were stressed out because there was too much current in my tank. I have 3 different filters in the aquarium. If there was less current they could've survived. They were fine with the other fish. As long as you have peaceful fish and not much water currents, you can keep them in your main aquarium.

Bettas as do nearly all anabantoids (those that use atmospheric air), come from very still, nearly stagnant, waters. They WILL NOT last long in a current-filled tank. They don't last long, anyway; Bettas only live two years, and you have no idea how old they are when you buy them.

Picking at other fish; Bettas are like people; every one is different. However, they normally go for fish that are smaller than they. They ignore most benthic fishes, larger schools of small fish, and those that are their size or larger.

Dave