Bettas With Corys

[Suzi]

ok i think im going to get this 7 gallon tank http/www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/0032133.htm
for my betta but was wondering if it would live happily with corys (sp?). my boyfriend really likes peppered catfish so i think we can compromise on fish i like with fish he likes.
if they are compatible does anyone know how many i would have in this small tank?

 

[peediepixie]

ok i think im going to get this 7 gallon tank http/www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/0032133.htm
for my betta but was wondering if it would live happily with corys (sp?). my boyfriend really likes peppered catfish so i think we can compromise on fish i like with fish he likes.
if they are compatible does anyone know how many i would have in this small tank?

yes they are compatible but TBH the tank is too small to have cories in as they like to be in a group of at least 6. Most cories grow to around 2 inches or just over although pygmy and panda cories are smaller... If you want cories with your Betta you'll need a bigger tank. Remeber the inch of fish per gallon rule and remember to go by the size they'll be fully grown, not the size they are when you buy them

 

[Suzi]

ok thanks... do you know of anything smaller which is compatible with betta that i could have in this tank?

 

[Durbkat]

You could try shrimp or african dwarf frogs but only 1 ADF and watch them because some bettas just don't like tank mates.

 

[Synirr]

...but only 1 ADF and watch them because some bettas just don't like tank mates.

...Why? You could easily have 2 or 3 ADFs in a tank that size...

 

[Durbkat]

Well if he/she wanted to put something else in there he/she could if she only had 1 in there.

 

[Synirr]

That would depend on what the "something else" was and how many "something else"s there were, don't you think?

 

[soritan]

I'd like to point out one minor side effect having a tankmate can have on a betta that I never really noticed, when researching them: the little buggers (i.e. 'the betta') tend(s) to over eat more often.

Especially if their tankmate is a bottom dweller. The betta chases down the food intended for their bottom dweller 'friend', and eats it before the bottom dweller can. It happens to both my bettas every time I feed. I'm not so worried about the girl, as she tends to eat until she's full, but the boy seems to be of the sort that eats until they explode.

 

[happyannie]

Would Danios go in a tank with a Betta? I've always heard that. I too want to get a few tank mates for mine. I also want ones that aren't going to get to be too large. Any kind of tetras? Maybe black-skirted tetras? They tend to be pretty peaceful fish from my experience. I've also found them to be very friendly and curious by nature.

 

[Durbkat]

Danios are to nippy and need at least a long 20 gallon because they like to go back and forth, black skirted tetras are also to nippy and need to be in a group of 5 or more and 5 tetras is to many for a 7g.

 

[happyannie]

I donated some black-skirted tetras to the educational center at a forest preserve and they're working out fine--no nipping. There was a really old one in there whose friend had died so I got her some company and they are like a girl scout troop. Some small nipping with each other but they also brush up against each other as a greeting or interaction. She was happy when I put some other fish in but when she saw she had others of her kind.....she swam up and down and all around brushing up against them. They are so curious about everything and so friendly. They also don't seem to have the pack mentality that other fish can have about others of different species. They're very slow moving too so won't cause undo stress in that regard. The old one in the tank is about 3" by 3" maybe even 3 1/2 inch square. Her old counterpart was a bit bigger than that. She's right around 8 years old or so. A very communicative fish.