# Corydoras pygmaeus-Pygmy cories how are they with bettas?



## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

Are they good tank companions? Are they active fish? I have some pepper cories that hide all of the time.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

The smaller cories are very active generally. What are the Peppered cories you have? are they Habrosus or are they the bigger "Salt and Pepper" cories which scientific name I do not know. Habrosus (Dainty), Hastatus (Dwarf or Pygmy) and Pygmeaus are three of the smaller cories, Hastatus being the smallest and more of a mid-level swimmer than a bottom dweller. All three are very active and like to be in tanks that are 20 gallons or bigger (preferably longer than taller). All corydoras are wonderful companions to Betta's as they occupy generally different levels of the tank although the Betta's tend to go all over the place 

Unless you have an extremely aggressive Betta(s) that don't get along with anyone, Betta's generally get along very well with corydoras of any type.

How many Peppered cories do you have? Perhaps you need to increase their numbers if they are hiding all the time; they may not feel very safe is all.


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## Tony2632 (Aug 30, 2013)

Like lilnaugrim said, it depends on the betta. I have two emerald cory catfish with one of my bettas (very mellow). They are pretty active fish but sometimes they are lazy. They also like to be in groups and from what a lot of people told me, they prefer sand or very round pebble gravel because of the barbells around their mouth.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I started with six while in quarantine two died. Either way they were not active even when there were six. They are a bit small, not fat ones. They stay in the back of the tank all day except one of them who ventures out in the afternoon. It stays in one place usually on a rock. I have been told this is typical. However, at the LFS they were racing to the top through the filter and back down again and seemed active.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

My former cories would do lots of scavenging and they wouldn't normally race up and down the tank but they'd go up for their air and then settle at the bottom again. They had day's where they didn't feel like doing much and I didn't blame them lol.

So what kind do you have? What's their scientific name? Cory's like Habrosus, Pygmeaus and Hastatus do MUCH better in groups of at least 9 since they are tiny and feel much more threatened against the world so that might not help is all.


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

All of my cories except the peppered one are very active and don't hide. The peppered ones in my 29 tank and Stone's 46 both hide all the time. It's to much the same for it to not be just how they are - at least for us, we think they just like to hide.

I have 9 pygmy cories in my 10 gallon witn a halfmoon betta and they are happy and active. They are TINY so in a 20 gallon or bigger you'd never see them. I've seen people on anotehr forum recommend keeping 20+ in a 10 gallon and they will be happy and healthy and live just fine in it. Like I said - they are TINY. Personally unless I had a huge school of them, I won't keep them in anything bigger than a 10 gallon they are already like trying to find an otto in a heavily planted 90 gallon in my 10, I like to actually see them.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I was considering my 29 gallon. The guy is selling a school of six or 12. The description says you could put them in 5 gallon. How heavy of a bio load do they put out?


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

jadaBlu said:


> I was considering my 29 gallon. The guy is selling a school of six or 12. The description says you could put them in 5 gallon. How heavy of a bio load do they put out?



Honestly I don't notice the bioload at all, they are so small if they even put out a bioload my tank is so heavily planted that I don't notice it all all. Their tank is like a jungle.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Ehhhh, just because you can put them in a 5 or 10 gallon doesn't mean you should. I know you said the Peppered weren't very active but they still need their swimming space. But your 29 would be great for the 6 or 12 I think  you can always check aqadvisor.com anyway to give you a rough idea :-D


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## Helianthe (Sep 14, 2013)

I also bought three little cories along with my betta and so far he seems to be okay with them. I plan on adding maybe 2 more. 
I really think it depends on the fish in general, mine really dislikes snails in the tank and the dog outside the tank.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I agree the peppered would better off in the 29 gallon but I've been afraid they are carrying disease due to two dying. If the last 4 remain stable I will probably add them to the 29 gallon and quaratine two more to add the group later.

The pygmies are cute and intriguing actually I think I was mistaken the tank size they can go in is 12x12 x18 which I think is 10 gallon. If you google pygmy cories the link under wikipedia gives a great deal of info on them but I can't post it because it's part a fish forum.


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

Yeah I wasn't talking about peppered/salt and pepper going into a 10 gallon, only the pygmy because they are soooo tiny. Less than an inch big and have more than enough room to be active and happy in a 10 gallon, trust me, I sit here for hours everyday watching them.

Now if I could afford a school of about 100 to put into my 40B - I would be absolutely thrilled to have it be the only fish I ever put into it but without having a huge school I'd never be able to see them in a bigger tank.


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## Torla (Aug 15, 2013)

I love cories.  I have five greens in my community tank. They are fairly shy during the day, but come lights out and I sprinkle the food on the bottom...watch out! They're so darn cute. Sometimes they run over the frogs while sweeping the bottom, and I always imagine old man voices saying, "Oh, pardon me, my good frog!" :lol:


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

That's funny Torla! 
Maybe I could do a 10 gallon with the peppered and the pygmies and maybe one Betta? Would that be too much? I have 3 choices of really small bettas that could go with them. The one guy I picked up that had SBD is fine now and cute as the dickens and not aggressive. I don't think he's going to grow much.


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## sugarunicorn (Aug 20, 2013)

jadaBlu said:


> That's funny Torla!
> Maybe I could do a 10 gallon with the peppered and the pygmies and maybe one Betta? Would that be too much? I have 3 choices of really small bettas that could go with them. The one guy I picked up that had SBD is fine now and cute as the dickens and not aggressive. I don't think he's going to grow much.


I keep my betta with a shoal of pygmy and dwarf corys (10 corys total) in my 10 gal and they get along great. I think the more, the merrier -- I had some aggression issues with my betta when I only had 4 corys (nothing serious though, just chasing), but now that I have a group of 10 he doesnt bother them at all. 

According to AQ Advisor I could actually add quite a few more - their bioload is VERY low. The dwarves and pygmies look slightly different, but they still school together... its really cute. Dwarves are slightly better at cleaning up muck like algae IME, if thats of interest to you.


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