Bettas and cories?

foureyed_dragon

Well the guy that I talked to at the fish store said that I should stay away from sand, so I dunno now.

I'm so mad now too, I had a list of all the different types of corys at the fish store, but I lost it. Argh. They had some really nice ones though. The fish store guy also said that they don't really need to be kept in groups though.

foureyed_dragon

I went back by the fish store and they had just gotten in some new panda corys that I really like the looks of. Will these still do okay with my betta?

Oldman47

Pandas should get along fine with your betta. The problem is that they don't stay small. They will get too big to keep 6 in with a betta in a 10 gallon. You could probably get away with 4 in that space. Cories in general are much more active and therefore entertaining in larger groups so people will always suggest at least 6. They will survive and thrive in groups as small as 3 or 4 but won't be as active.

okiemavis

Also, pandas ship REALLY badly, so you shouldn't get ones new to the store. Wait until you see which ones survive. Honestly, and sorry if this sounds harsh, it sounds like your LFS doesn't entirely know what they're talking about. I'm generally suspicious of LFS's because they are very profit-driven, and your has already misinformed you a bit. Corys are very widely known to be shoaling fish.

thespiff

Just to back up the statements of others, your LFS guy is wrong. If you want happy cories you need to buy them in groups of at least 4, preferably more. Also, sand really is the best substrate for these guys. Buy a 50lb sack of quikrete play sand from Home Depot for $5. The cories will be MUCH happier.

I had a lone swartzii cory for a few months in a tank with rough gravel substrate. I always worried about the guy, his whiskers went away, he never seemed to eat, and he looked generally unhappy.

I started a second tank with play sand substrate and tossed him in there with 4 more swartziis, and it's like he is a new fish. They all seem to have a great time sifting through the sand for food. He's only been in there for 3 weeks, but I fully expect his whiskers to grow back. Cories are so much more fun to watch in groups too. They'll all sit in a line at the bottom of the tank under a rock when they're resting. When they're active they're always sniffing around in a big group. You really should not keep these guys alone.[/list]

foureyed_dragon

Okay, so go for the sand and get them in a group. I'll look into a kind other than the pandas.

I don't think I'm going to put my betta in the tank after all. He just seems so happy in his 2.5.

I would like to get some other fish though and was looking into tetras. How many fish would be an over all good rule for my 10g tank?

russp

I have a heavily planted 10 gallon with 1 panda cory, 2 julii cories, 3 glolite tetras and 4 white cloud minnows. 25% water changes are done every other week and I have a 100gph Marineland filter with carbon/floss cartridges and a biopad. I tried a Betta with two cories and a few minnows but he harrased them constantly so I put him into another tank.