# Bookshelf Aquarium: Cories and Betta



## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

I plan to start a NPT using Petco's 6.6 gal Bookshelf aquarium (8.13" L X 24" W X 9.25" H). 

Is the tank big enough to house a betta and 3-4 cories? I read that cories do best in groups of 6 or more, but I also read that juliis do fine in groups of 3-4. My Petco sells albinos and juliis while Petsmart also has emeralds and pandas (I like the panda ones the best). However, neither have pygmies which I heard do well in the 6.6. 

If yes, which cory do you recommend? If not, then I think I can settle with a few ghost shrimp and algae eater. (While I'm at it, does anyone know any good substrate aerators beside MTS?)


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

considering the length and height of the 6.6 I would say definitely yes. however make sure the tank is established before adding the cories...


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## Fishybitty (Dec 29, 2012)

I don't know, I think that is kind of pushing it :/ 4 cories in a 6 gal.

Do you have a local pet store? Like a ma & pas? If so you could probably request pygmies. Those would be better.

Possibly check aquabid?


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

swimming space wise the 6.6 gallon has much more horizontal space than a standard ten gallon. this will keep both the betta ans corys happy...
bioload wise... a properly done 6.6 gallon fish tank can take more than 30 small fish...so 5 fish in the petco 6.6 should be just fine.

ofcourse you should NEVER put 30 fish in a 6.6....


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## Fishybitty (Dec 29, 2012)

My 10 gallon is 21 long. Lol it isn't that much longer ;p


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## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

30 fish in a 6.6 gallon sounds like a nightmare hahaha...

I do have a small ma/pa petstore in town  I'll have to ask my friend to take me there again (haven't gone in a while since its sort of out of the way). I'll check there for pygmies first and see if they take requests. 

Alrighty, I'll be sure to have a well-established tank before adding them. Thanks!


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Fishybitty said:


> My 10 gallon is 21 long. Lol it isn't that much longer ;p



haha ur right, i guess mine just felt longer than my 10 




Sea Dragon said:


> 30 fish in a 6.6 gallon sounds like a nightmare hahaha...
> 
> I do have a small ma/pa petstore in town  I'll have to ask my friend to take me there again (haven't gone in a while since its sort of out of the way). I'll check there for pygmies first and see if they take requests.
> 
> Alrighty, I'll be sure to have a well-established tank before adding them. Thanks!


be sure to read the npt sticky thoroughly! ie.
1in Miracle gro organic potting mix (sift out the big bits)
1/2 in sand cap
75% and MORE planted with STEM plants >.> (you can switch them out later when the tank establishes a good eco system..
floaters as an extra nitrate sink 
etc etc


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## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

I guess being more slender gives that illusion  oh well, I cant complain about an extra 3 inches.


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## sarahspins (Sep 5, 2012)

You could get tiny cories... these guys are fully grown  They are Corydoras Habrosus and look/act more like a "big" cory than the pygmy cory (corydoras pygmaeus) does. I think they are my new favorite fish because they are SO cute and so incredibly active.









(not the best pic, I took this with my phone)

My betta doesn't bother them at all.. he was going after the sinking food the cories were munching on. I wouldn't hestitate to keep a dozen of these along with a betta in the 6.6 - they are really quite small.


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## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

sarahspins said:


> You could get tiny cories... these guys are fully grown  They are Corydoras Habrosus and look/act more like a "big" cory than the pygmy cory (corydoras pygmaeus) does. I think they are my new favorite fish because they are SO cute and so incredibly active.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh my gosh, they look adorable  I'll take your word for it and keep an eye out for them at my lfs! ~6 of those guys would probably be happier in a group than 3-4 normal sized cories.


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

Cories and Bettas should never be kept together! They have different temperature requirements. 

Betta's like it at 80, Cories like it at 72-75 degrees. If you keep cories at 80 degrees, *they will have a much shorter lifespan. Do not keep them together.

*Only pygmy cories can fit in a 6.6 gallon tank. Any other cories needs at least 15 gallons.

All in all, _*do not keep cories and bettas together.*_


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

they do, but most bettas can live just fine in 76F or so without compromising health. providing the water is clean etc. 
most tropical fish are not fond of 80F...
infact many people keep shrimps and bettas together, when they are mostly cold water :3


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

Your point is very valid.

IMO, I would never keep a betta below 78 degrees. When I did, my bettas when very less active. Once I brought it up to 80, they perked up right away.

In my experience, this is a bad mix of fish. My peppered cories do bad at over 78 degrees, so there isn't really a compromise temperature to keep both of these fish together.


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

I have 3 cories in my sorority and everyone is happy and healthy. I just put 3 julis in a community tank that holds tetras a pleco and one male betta. All is well.

Rules are made to be broken I guess :lol:


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

I see  it might be the preference of your own bettas too. My own has been in all kinds of temperatures from the low 70s to around 84F, he does slow down, but none of that is an indication of health. fish are cold blooded after all  it only makes sense that their level of activity is controlled by the heat of the water. technically their lives spans too will be shortened in higher temps.
in all reality, water temperatures in the wild fluctuate. those who catch bettas in the wild can tell you the difference in water temperature between night and day


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## sarahspins (Sep 5, 2012)

My bettas are happy and very active at 76-78... my thoughts are that unhappy bettas will not be active in any temperature. Until mine were moved into larger tanks (2 10g tanks, 1 7.9g) they spent a lot of time doing nothing, they'd mostly just find a spot and "park". Now that they're all in larger planted tanks they are much more active - I think they spend a lot of their time exploring (or doing a perimeter check) and only "park" to sleep.


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

I guess some bettas do better. I remember my betta Fury was so sensitive to temperatures below 80 degrees. 

The pairing would work out though because both are very peaceful!


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## sarahspins (Sep 5, 2012)

BTW, everything I've read says that corydoras habrosus does fine in temps up to 80˚


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

hmmm, corydoras hasbrosus are hard to find, I'm not sure about other states.


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

They can do okay. I usually recommend cooler though as that is more of a natural environment to them ;-)


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## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

Thanks for the feedback guys. When I get the new tank and cories, I'll be on the look out for any problems. 

The betta I plan to move to the 6.6 was one I rescued from a science project where he was kept in ~2 cups of cold yellow/brown water. His tank temp is currently 77-78 and he's a tough fellow so I think he'll be okay


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

What kind of cories are you doing again?

The only kind you can get in a tank this small is 6-8 pygmy cories. They are super tiny and work well in tanks of 5 gallons or larger.


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## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

I'm aiming for pygmies or habrosas. If I can't find any at any store (theres a big fish specialty store 20 minutes away so I doubt it) then I'm considering some albinos, I'll have to buy the tank and have it right in front of me so I can judge the space better.


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

Albinos need at least 20 gallons IMO. If you can't find them, look on Aquabid!


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

IME albinos are weaker and like shallower water :O they do stay smaller however...or maybe most just die early.


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

They get to usually around 2-3" so I think they get too big. Pygmy cories and Salt & Pepper cories get to be an inch of less, making them much more compatible with a tank at this size.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

I think the 2-3in statistics are due to them being derived from C. aenus. But I think something in their genetics keeps them much smaller. lmk if you see one that's 3in. lol


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## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

Well you wont have to worry about me getting any albinos because I talked to the guy at my lps and he said he does carry habrosas  He was out of stock at the time, but he'll get more eventually and speaking of salt and pepper cories, he just got a fresh shipment of those.

Sometimes Im amazed at how nice these people are  He said he can order pygmies if I wanted, but I think Ill get the habrosas when I cycle my tank. Thanks for all the info


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

nice! I love the small sp of cories! they're so darn cute!


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## sarahspins (Sep 5, 2012)

If anyone needs a dose of cute or any convincing that the little cories are awesome  Rep thinks the cories sinking pellets are very yummy too... and it's funny, he's figured out that when they swarm it means there is food.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahspins/8469001431/

(just ignore the sound in the background.. kids were watching cartoons)


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## emeraldmaster (Sep 6, 2012)

that video was CUTE!!!


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Habrousus, Hastatus, pygmae are perfect for your petco bookshelf. The julis and other variety of cory tend to get larger and will overgrow the tank in a few months time if you are lucky...



sarahspins said:


> You could get tiny cories... these guys are fully grown  They are Corydoras Habrosus and look/act more like a "big" cory than the pygmy cory (corydoras pygmaeus) does. I think they are my new favorite fish because they are SO cute and so incredibly active.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## broncosfan84 (Apr 11, 2012)

Here's a link to pygmy cories: http://aquadesigninnovations.com/shop/shop/pygmy-cory/


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Just make sure you dont buy from them... we have had 3 failed consecutive orders in the past few months by our local community. they dont bag properly and plants and livestock came dead or dying. an entire bag of panda corys came fried being placed next to a bare heat pack. just giving fair warning...


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## broncosfan84 (Apr 11, 2012)

oh....thanks for the notice. I was getting ready to order 10 from them. Guess I'll have to try our LPS again. THANKS A BUNCH FOR THE WARNING.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Yeah, don't order from them.. they've sent out mushy plants, dead livestock, and livestock that seem to die off in the month after being shipped....
And this is after trying them a few times to see if the DOAs were just a fluke incident. it wasn't.


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## broncosfan84 (Apr 11, 2012)

Thank you so much. I was just getting ready to buy from them. :shock:


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

To their credit, they did send replacements but the whole order process was very long and drawn out with documenting DOA's with photos and multiple correspondence after the fact not to mention the several weeks in between the initial order and when the replacements finally arrived.

i hope we were able to save you the anguish.


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## Aoicat (Nov 30, 2012)

Loved the video. Cories are always fun to watch.


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## broncosfan84 (Apr 11, 2012)

Thank you....Thank you....Thank you all. :-D


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## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

sarahspins said:


> If anyone needs a dose of cute or any convincing that the little cories are awesome  Rep thinks the cories sinking pellets are very yummy too... and it's funny, he's figured out that when they swarm it means there is food.
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahspins/8469001431/
> 
> (just ignore the sound in the background.. kids were watching cartoons)


So cute :> I love how your betta just passed through with a bite haha.


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## sarahspins (Sep 5, 2012)

Yeah, he's all like "Oh! There's food, don't mind if I share.."


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## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

I hope my betta doesnt hog the cory's food when I have the tank up and running :') I remember a member on the forum talking about coming home to a mysteriously fat betta everyday, turns out he was chomping on the algae wafers meant for the other fish xD

Just wondering for future ref, but what foods do you feed your cories?


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## sarahspins (Sep 5, 2012)

The cories do get most of it because after a few bites the betta loses interest in it (I'm not convinced he's eating much, it's mostly just trying - it takes the wafers a while to get soft, the cories are better ate nibbling away while the betta tries to unsuccessfully bite off chunks).

So far I've been feeding my cories mostly hikari mini algae wafers and hikari (tropical) sinking wafers... not every day, they get one or the other every other day or so (same schedule for feeding my pleco's and oto's in my big tank). They will also go after any betta food that hits the bottom, and when I feed frozen foods to my betta they go nuts over that, especially brine shrimp 

Just remember they are omnivores and do best with a variety of foods.


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## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

Yeah, I've been thinking of getting the hikari sinking wafers and algae wafers. Once autumn rolls around, I guess I'll throw in some zucchini too lol


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

check out the omega one algae rounds. they're made of kelp and other vegetable matter. I actually was baffled why my tanks smelt like seaweed! haha then I realized it was the wafer


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## Sea Dragon (Mar 20, 2012)

aokashi said:


> check out the omega one algae rounds. they're made of kelp and other vegetable matter. I actually was baffled why my tanks smelt like seaweed! haha then I realized it was the wafer


Must be pretty potent :-D I love omega, I feed my bettas the pellets and they never get bored of them. I'll check the stores to see whats available when the time comes.


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## sarahspins (Sep 5, 2012)

I am pretty sure I got my hikari sinking wafers at Petco (my mini algae wafers came from ebay, I've never seen anything but the bigger ones locally).. and Petco should also have the Omega One algae rounds (which I haven't tried yet.. I already had the Hikari)

Bigger wafers can be broken up.. I had bought my mini ones first when I got otos months ago, then a couple of months ago when I got my BN plecos I got the bigger ones since they were going through several smaller ones each time I fed them.


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

I've heard many good things from this place. They have Pygmy Cories. Another forum I'm on has great success with them! http://msjinkzd.com/species/freshwater-fish/

Wow, I didn't know that place was bad. I was gonna get some pygmy cories there. Thanks for the heads up!


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Crowntails said:


> I've heard many good things from this place. They have Pygmy Cories. Another forum I'm on has great success with them! Freshwater Fish | Invertebrates by Msjinkzd


Yup she's a sweet lady :3 doesnt deal with bettas, but does all the other tiny stuff :3
she also has a rainbow of apple snails!


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## sarahspins (Sep 5, 2012)

acitydweller said:


> Just make sure you dont buy from them... we have had 3 failed consecutive orders in the past few months by our local community. they dont bag properly and plants and livestock came dead or dying. an entire bag of panda corys came fried being placed next to a bare heat pack. just giving fair warning...


Yikes... I just had the same experience with an order of rummynose tetras. I had 60% DOA (my first DOA's of any kind ever) and the rest didn't last 12 hours. I have a feeling they got cooked by the heat pack. My emails with them don't inspire much confidence - it's clear that they haven't been shipping fish very long.

I wish I had known that before I ordered... they are supposedly reshipping them on Monday but to be honest I would rather just have a refund so I can go buy them at my LFS at twice the price.

I have gotten fish shipped from aquariumpal on ebay (who has habrosus, though I actually got mine from my LFS) and those fish arrived perfectly fine.


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