My Cory’s gills are looking a bit pink and I’m afraid the betta may be picking on him.

I’m relatively new to owning fish. I’ve done lots of research and I asked the people at my local pet store about what fish are suitable to live with a betta in a 10 gallon. I got one cory as was recommended for my tank size, three baby African dwarf frogs, four or five ghost shrimp, and one male betta. A few days ago I noticed that my Cory was looking pink around the gills but I’m not super familiar with this type of Cory and it’s coloration so I’ve been waiting and observing the behaviors of my fish. The betta seemed to be really chill and doesn’t even bother with the frogs or shrimp but today, I think I saw the betta flare up and start nipping at the Cory. It was quick so I’m not entirely certain but I’ve owned a betta before and I know what it looks like when they’re in a fighting mood and that’s what it looked like. I’m also not certain whether or not the betta was looking for food or if it was actually biting the Cory, it was a quick encounter. Now I’m observing the Cory in its own small and enclosure and upon further inspection it seems like it could be missing scales. I’ve googled possible causes but I couldn’t seem to find anything helpful.

Please excuse my lack of punctuation, I’m worried for my Cory and in a hurry.

If you’ve experienced anything like this before I would greatly appreciate some input. I would be so sad if my Cory was being bullied and I did nothing to stop it.

I don't guess when it comes to disease issues, but here I would say that bullying by the betta is not likely the cause. Other members like @Colin_T or @DoubleDutch can more accurately deal with the red gill issue.

Cories cannot live alone though, you need a group as they are highly social fish. Just so you know for the future. And a male Beta should not be housed with any fish, and the aquatic frogs may have issues with the betta too.

Byron said:

I don't guess when it comes to disease issues, but here I would say that bullying by the betta is not likely the cause. Other members like @Colin_T or @DoubleDutch can more accurately deal with the red gill issue.

Cories cannot live alone though, you need a group as they are highly social fish. Just so you know for the future. And a male Beta should not be housed with any fish, and the aquatic frogs may have issues with the betta too.

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I appreciate the input. I was simply going based off of the many articles I’ve read online and the information given to me by two different pet stores. Regarding the single Cory, I definitely should have researched whether or not they were okay as solitary animals but I was told by the pet store employee that only one was suitable for my tank size so I assumed they were okay alone considering it was never mentioned. I’ve been closely observing all critters in the tank and the frogs hide a lot and don’t seem to have any wounds so as of now I think they’ll be okay. As well as I’m almost certain it’s not an issue with disease. The other fish are doing just fine and water parameters are perfect. I’m almost certain it’s an issue with the betta being a bully because I saw the betta puff out it’s gills and start nipping in the direction of the Cory and the entire time I’ve had this fish it has not flared its gills until that moment and it even seemed to be chasin the Cory.

@Jingleballs Your duplicate thread has been deleted. You were very disrespectful in the other thread. You risk warning points or worse if you continue.
Do not start another thread on this topic.
Also you need to choose a cleaner name. PM me with a new name soon and we will change it.
Membership in our forums is a privilege NOT a right.

Any idea what type of cory it is? Sometimes bettas do well with tank mates, other times they don't. Many articles and people are very for bettas and tank mates, as it can be doable. Doable, not necessarily good. There is debate about it though. Bettas are very solitary creatures, and I am on the side that thinks they do best/should be kept alone. That was good of you to do your research! I totally understand what you mean. When I got my first cories, none of the articles I read said a word about them being schooling fish who need groups.

In a 10 gallon tank, the only kind of cory I would do would be pygmy cories. Your betta sounds rather aggressive though, in which case he would be better without tank mates. Watch his interaction with the frogs.

Is your tank cycled? What are the water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) Cories can be rather sensitive, and may be struggling with high levels of ammonia.

Red gills are usually caused by poor water quality. Check the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

It is a C.elegans and if the Local Pet Store advised to keep this one single in a 10G please run back, bring the fish back and never buy any fish there.

The redness is answered by different other members. It simply isn't suitable to be alone nor to be in 10G tank.

This looks like a water quality issue check pH first.