Cory Cats Eating Betta Fins!

[JKooL]

Help!!! I found one of my spotted corydora catfish nipping at the fins of my betta this afternoon. I had thought that my betta's fins were shred up because he was getting caught in the filter intake, but I'm positive that's not what has been happening.

Is there anything else I can do short of taking the betta out and putting him in his own tank? I have a 5 gallon with 1 male betta and 2 corydora catfish (about 1" in length).

Thanks!

 

[33moths]

No, I'm pretty sure if there is tank aggression there really isn't much you can do, you should probably move the corydoras to a larger tank - corydoras should be kept in groups of at least 6 or they will not feel safe, and that there are only two in your tank could be a reason for fin nipping - corydoras are extremely peaceful as you probably know. You can always get a pretty apple snail for your betta tank, they are endearing and can grow to a nice size, and would do great with a betta in a 5 gallon. They are too slow to even touch a betta. I'm sure a local fish store near you has some snails you could chose one, or if not, there are always people trying to get rid of their snails on fish forums (they reproduce quickly, so it'd be good to have one if you don't want tons) Info on snails: applesnail.net

A larger tank for the corydoras can seem daunting but don't let it be, you can put maybe 5-7 (I think? can anyone check?) corydoras in a 10 gallon, and a 10 gallon doesn't take any longer to clean than a 5 gallon. You can get a 10gal for about 10-15 bucks. Corydoras are adorable!

 

[JKooL]

How about if I upgraded to a 10 gallon tank, kept the betta and added a few more corys? I don't mind having a bigger tank - but I'd rather not have the extra responsibility of managing two separate tanks... I can get a nice 10 gallon set up for pretty cheap. Let me know if you think that is a good idea.

Edit -- I specifically asked the PetSmart clerk if the corys needed to be kept in groups, and he told me they did not have to be. He was willing to sell me 1, but I told him I thought it'd be better if I had two of them. But now that you mention it, I remember reading that they had to be kept in big groups awhile back, which is why I asked the clerk about it. Should have done my research here!

 

[33moths]

How about if I upgraded to a 10 gallon tank, kept the betta and added a few more corys? I don't mind having a bigger tank - but I'd rather not have the extra responsibility of managing two separate tanks... I can get a nice 10 gallon set up for pretty cheap. Let me know if you think that is a good idea.

Edit -- I specifically asked the PetSmart clerk if the corys needed to be kept in groups, and he told me they did not have to be. He was willing to sell me 1, but I told him I thought it'd be better if I had two of them. But now that you mention it, I remember reading that they had to be kept in big groups awhile back, which is why I asked the clerk about it. Should have done my research here!

That tank idea sounds good, I think - with more space and company everybody might feel more relaxed! It would be an interesting tank to try out, and if it really didn't work, I'm sure you would figure something out. I'd love to hear how this works out. I've never done a betta in a community tank, but if I would, I'd do it with cories. I'd do it sooner rather than later though, so the fishes adjust as soon as possible.

That's the same thing that happened to me, with the group thing and bad advice- so I also have two corydoras, with my goldfish. I plan to get more cories for the 10 gallon I have when I move my goldfish out to a 30 gallon with another goldie. Research is smart! I'm lucky my fish haven't been stressed, since I cycled my 10 gallon tank with those 3. But I admit my folly and already promised the fishies friends proper. (I have two albino cor. aeneus, they're great).