Betta With Pygmy Corys?

[tmoney7]

So i have a 10 gal tank with 6 pygmy corys and 3 olive nerite snails and i was just wondering if adding a betta would be overloading the tank.  The tank is planted (i wouldn't say heavily because my corkscrew vallis is still making up its mind on whether or not to grow).  The one thing i hate doing is overloading the tank so if i was able to add the betta but have it be on the limit of what the tank could hold then i probably would just not get the betta.

 

[fluttermoth]

You'll be fine to add a betta

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Sounds like a lovely tank for a betta!

 

[tmoney7]

Okay really just wanted to make sure that i was not going to overstock the tank.  Also another quick questions is whether or not the betta will nip at the corys or not?

Sounds like a lovely tank for a betta!

Kind of excited to hear that. I am setting up another 10 gal now and i was going to put one in there but i changed my mind to endlers instead.  But i guess i can get the best of both worlds

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

I doubt the betta would bother the corys. Bettas can be territorial but the corys were there first so they already have dibs I would say that the vast majority of bettas are very tolerant of other fish in their tanks but you do get the occasional one that just won't tolerate other fish. I kept my betta with a wide variety of fish and never had a problem with aggression from him. 

 

[Chad]

Behaviorally they will be fine together just keep in mind that pygmy cory is from a different environment than the betta and like a bit more flow, plants etc. They generally live in black water in the wild so a dim tank is nice for them. I use floating plants to dapple the lighting on my tank for mine. If you have the tank size for them I recommend no less than a dozen of them as well. They do best in large groups. I'm working toward getting 24 as my LFS gets them in, I'm up to 16 now.

 

[Ninjouzata]

I'm sure you already know that their personalities can differ greatly, so make sure you have a back-up plan if he decides he doesn't like the pygmys.
If/when you get one, looking forward to pics!

 

[tmoney7]

Yeah i am crossing my fingers he will be fine.  Also as far as my setup goes the flow is not a massive amount just enough to create some bubbles and top water movement.  My tank has a light on for about 6-7 hrs a day and its about 2 watts per gallon.

 

[Chad]

Did you say it had plants? The cory love plants and drift wood.

 

[tmoney7]

Ohh yea it has corkscrew vallis(2), anubias nana, java fern(2), java moss, and some Malaysian driftwood

 

[Chad]

They should be happy then and well able to hide from the betta should he desire to go after them, though I suspect he won't.

 

[tmoney7]

Here he is!!!

 
He was very interested in what the pygmys and nerites were doing .

 

[Ninjouzata]

Pretty boy!

 

[tmoney7]

Yeah his white is actually more of a silver than the bland white the picture shows

 

[stanleo]

Behaviorally they will be fine together just keep in mind that pygmy cory is from a different environment than the betta and like a bit more flow, plants etc. They generally live in black water in the wild so a dim tank is nice for them. I use floating plants to dapple the lighting on my tank for mine. If you have the tank size for them I recommend no less than a dozen of them as well. They do best in large groups. I'm working toward getting 24 as my LFS gets them in, I'm up to 16 now.

I just put a betta in my 10gl with 6 pygmys and they are doing great together. I have plenty of plant cover and stuff for them to root through.
 
Tcomas, you say that they do better in groups of 12, should I get more? there are also 100 RCS and 3 endler guppies in tank. I love watching the pygmys and would like to see more natural behavior out of them. How many more could I get?