Pygme cory + Beta

[bnpleco]

Would that work in a 2.5 g tank? It's heavily planted. It is a male vaultail betta.

 

[NYgiantsRP]

Yes, but cories should be kept in groups of at least 5. How about a couple shrimp. My betta dosent bother any of my 6 shrimp.

 

[jessicafish]

bettas can live with pygmy cories but the cories have to have a school of at least 6 and to do that with a betta you would need a tank that was 10 gallons or larger...
if you want a tank mate for your betta you will need to upgrade to a 10g...

 

[shellieca]

A 2.5g is too small for multiple fish IMO.

 

[DragonFish71]

Wow, really? You *need* to upgrade to a 10 to have buddies for your betta?

Um, not really.

I have 5.5g betta tanks with two albino corys and a betta in each. How is this done?

Bettas usually stay at the top or mid-level of the tank, corys at the bottom, sometimes mid-level.

Good filtration and water changes keep everyone healthy and happy.

So no, you don't *need* a 10g to add friends for a betta. You just need to know what part of the tank those friends inhabit, pick the right friends and keep up on maintenance.

For a 2.5 I would suggest snails or one regular size cory.

 

[jessicafish]

Wow, really? You *need* to upgrade to a 10 to have buddies for your betta?

Um, not really.

I have 5.5g betta tanks with two albino corys and a betta in each. How is this done?

Bettas usually stay at the top or mid-level of the tank, corys at the bottom, sometimes mid-level.

Good filtration and water changes keep everyone healthy and happy.

So no, you don't *need* a 10g to add friends for a betta. You just need to know what part of the tank those friends inhabit, pick the right friends and keep up on maintenance.

For a 2.5 I would suggest snails or one regular size cory.

regular sized cories get WAY to big for a 2.5g tank...you shouldn't have any other fish in a 5.5g and cories are shoaling fish so you need to have at least a 10g to have 6 pygmy cories... also snails have a HUGE bioload so unless you are willing to do LOTS of water changes I would MAYBE have a nerite snail because they don't get as big as some other snails..

 

[DragonFish71]

regular sized cories get WAY to big for a 2.5g tank...you shouldn't have any other fish in a 5.5g and cories are shoaling fish so you need to have at least a 10g to have 6 pygmy cories...

Regular sized corys do not get WAY too big, and can be kept in pairs or as loners. They PREFER to school, but they don't HAVE to school.

2 plus a betta in a 5.5 is perfectly fine due to what parts of the water column they inhabit.

I would suggest not spewing things you've heard and instead take advice from people have have long term experience.

 

[Zimmanski]

Wow, really? You *need* to upgrade to a 10 to have buddies for your betta?

Um, not really.

I have 5.5g betta tanks with two albino corys and a betta in each. How is this done?

Bettas usually stay at the top or mid-level of the tank, corys at the bottom, sometimes mid-level.

Good filtration and water changes keep everyone healthy and happy.

So no, you don't *need* a 10g to add friends for a betta. You just need to know what part of the tank those friends inhabit, pick the right friends and keep up on maintenance.

For a 2.5 I would suggest snails or one regular size cory.

I can keep a betta alive in a shot glass too, doesn't mean I should and doesn't mean I'm meeting the needs of my fish. If you want to keep fish in smaller tanks that's your decision to make, but the suggested tank size is more than you're providing but I'm sure you're aware of that. AA shouldn't be here to tell people what the bare minimum is to keep a fish alive, AA and its members should be here to give advice on how to make a fish thrive and live a long, healthy, and happy life so when we make suggestions using the word "need" we really mean that the fish "deserves"

 

[jessicafish]

I feel that no other FISH can live in a 2.5g I would reccommend maybe a snail or a few shrimp (they reproduce rather quickly)

 

[DragonFish71]

I can keep a betta alive in a shot glass too, doesn't mean I should and doesn't mean I'm meeting the needs of my fish. If you want to keep fish in smaller tanks that's your decision to make, but the suggested tank size is more than you're providing but I'm sure you're aware of that. AA shouldn't be here to tell people what the bare minimum is to keep a fish alive, AA and its members should be here to give advice on how to make a fish thrive and live a long, healthy, and happy life so when we make suggestions using the word "need" we really mean that the fish "deserves"

Are you suggesting that my fish aren't healthy and living well? My bettas are about 2 years old, happy, healthy, never had a disease.

The OP has a small tank, he can do more with it than what the fish police suggest. He can do it without causing harm to the fish if he's dedicated to his maintenance.

AA allows all opinions on what is needed for the longevity of our finned friends, even if it breaks the "omg you can't do that" thought process.

 

[Zimmanski]

Are you suggesting that my fish aren't healthy and living well? My bettas are about 2 years old, happy, healthy, never had a disease.

The OP has a small tank, he can do more with it than what the fish police suggest. He can do it without causing harm to the fish if he's dedicated to his maintenance.

AA allows all opinions on what is needed for the longevity of our finned friends, even if it breaks the "omg you can't do that" thought process.

I don't remember accusing you of anything...
I don't remember ever saying you "can't" do anything...

All I was saying is that if given the shoal they prefer, any of the 2" Cory's shouldn't be in a 12" tank, but obviously you "can", as you've said. I'm not saying that no other fish can be put in the OPs tank, just saying there are better suggestions that could be made

 

[bnpleco]

So what type I shrimp then? I had bad luck with ghost shrimp they always die within a week for me an I find that stupid! I have kept GBRs and I can't keep a darn shrimp!

 

[Tetra1990]

So what type I shrimp then? I had bad luck with ghost shrimp they always die within a week for me an I find that stupid! I have kept GBRs and I can't keep a darn shrimp!

That's crazy lol. Try some ghost shrimp again, for 2 reasons: your betta will either see them as food or friends, it all depends on it's temperament. Also, they are fairly inexpensive, so if they get eaten then your hopefully not out a ton of money. If your betta accepts them and they live, then your good. If they die again, but your betta accepted them, you can choose from a very wide variety of shrimp. I have some blueberry shrimp($10 a shrimp) and my betta, thankfully, leaves them alone.

 

[Oohitsae]

I'd look into buying a few Red Cherry Shrimp, they are a bit hardier than most shrimp and can survive through practically anything. Only problem is that they stick out more than ghosts so your betta may try to make a snack out of a few...but overall I think they are your best bet.

Whats your parameters? pH, kH and gH? their short life spans might be due to your water being too acidic or soft. They need hard water and calcium to help them molt and grow thick shells.

 

[bnpleco]

PH- 6.8
I don't have a KH, GH tester

 

[Cynic]

I don't remember accusing you of anything...
I don't remember ever saying you "can't" do anything...

All I was saying is that if given the shoal they prefer, any of the 2" Cory's shouldn't be in a 12" tank, but obviously you "can", as you've said. I'm not saying that no other fish can be put in the OPs tank, just saying there are better suggestions that could be made

I'm with you, no way would I put non-Pygmy cories in a 5.5G or any other fish in a 2.5G.