# Corys, Ottos or Snails?



## Cherokee Rose (Jan 9, 2019)

Hi there!

Hoping you can help me with this!
I have a lovely little betta who has spent 2 weeks in is new tank so that he can settle in. I'm now looking to get a couple of small fish to act as good tank cleaners for food that falls to the bottom of his tank. He's a silly fish that refuses to eat any food that falls too close to the floor, and things like bug bites are so small, its near impossible to collect them, so the last thing I want is ammonia or nitrate spikes occurring. 

However, I'm super concerned with introducing new fish, as I don't want them to attack my colourful boy, as he occasionally sleeps against the bottom filter. 

Will these lovely fishies and snails pose any danger to him and which would you recommend? I know they are quite pale, so my boy should hopefully ignore them, though he does like to skim the glass, which may be stressful for the ottos? 
- Panda Corys
- Ottos
- Snails

I have a planted aquarium, so I don't want anything to eat the plants, but instead eat the fallen food and possibly any algae (which I don't really have at the minute as I like to keep it clean). I also wouldn't want any snails to breed. I have heard about pygmy corys, but I can't find any in my surrounding pet stores and have heard they can be opportunistic, which worries me with my betta's fragile tail. 

Tank: 37 litres. Small opening at top. Planted. No driftwood. Decorative cave and betta log. 

I was hoping to adopt some panda cory's which my pet shop advises, but some people claim they need large groups in big aquariums. Would they be okay in my tank if I had 3/4?


----------



## Cranly (Apr 14, 2014)

Unfortunately, I don't think your tank is big enough for almost any cory species. They (basically any cory species) need bottom space and they are a shoaling fish, so should be kept in pods of AT LEAST 6 for their well-being. (and I think more than six does them better.) 
Otherwise, cories would be a good candidate for what you're looking for. 
And Pygmy cories would be the most suited for your tank if you really did want them. Since you can't find them locally, you could possibly see about ordering some online. 
There's also the tail-spot cory which is pretty small? but I don't think that's particularly common to find either. 

Nerite snails won't breed in fresh water, however, they basically only eat algae. So i'm not sure that solves your extra-food problem. 

I don't know as much about other snails, though. Someone else might. I'll also let someone else put in a vote about ottos...
I mostly deal with cory catfish these days and so like to see them treated well.


----------



## Old Dog 59 (Nov 11, 2018)

As far as snails Look into mystery snails, I have 6 in my 5.5 gal tank. They eat algae and also keep the bottom of my tank clean. They are fun to watch also.


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Your tank is, IMO, too small most fish. You could look for Habrosus Cory, which are small like the Pygmy, but are bottom dwellers. Pygmy are mostly mid-tank dwellers.

An Assassin Snail will eat leftover food and are small. They will not over breed.


----------



## Cherokee Rose (Jan 9, 2019)

The Habrosus Cory looks like an awesome little fish and seems to be suited to a small tank much better than the other breeds after a good bit of research! Thanks for the info!

I'll have to scout around a bit in the UK to find them, but I must ask, in case anyone knows:
Are they hardy fish? 
(I keep my tank at 26 degrees and don't want to cook the little dudes!)
Do they pose any threat to a betta if he sleeps on the ground at all? I know some fishies are fin nibblers, so want to make sure they would be okay with him! I've heard horror stories of bettas having no fins due to opportunistic tankmates.
For anyone in the UK, do you have any idea of where to find them and would you trust online fish stores to buy them from?

Finally, a somewhat unrelated question, if I buy some more soil (soil beads) for these guys to eat off of, would bacteria build up if I pour it over my existing gravel?

So sorry for all the questions! I'm new to this but deeply care for my animals and want to give them the best life possible, be they a fly or a dog.


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You do not need to add anything for bottom dwellers. I have never had Habrosus Cory bother a Betta. As a matter of fact, I often suggest they be the first tank mate introduced to a Betta tank.


----------



## Ratvan (Oct 31, 2018)

Cherokee Rose said:


> The Habrosus Cory looks like an awesome little fish and seems to be suited to a small tank much better than the other breeds after a good bit of research! Thanks for the info!
> 
> I'll have to scout around a bit in the UK to find them, but I must ask, in case anyone knows:
> Are they hardy fish?
> ...


Hi, when I used to buy fish i would order from AllPondSolutions. 
They currently have the Salt and Pepper out of stock https://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/salt-and-pepper-corydoras/
But they do have some Pygmy Corys https://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/pygmy-corydoras/

Yes they're a hardy fish. Temperature range of 22-28 for them, I have 4 Pygmy Corys (lost 2 but thjese were rescues and veryu sick and skinny) in a tank that's sitting at 28 and they're doing great, I personally worry more about my Cory's being attacked by the Betta, just incase the Betta gets one of their babels.


----------



## Guest (Jan 30, 2019)

Hi There, 
I did t see much mention of the ottos and I think you’re in the right track with the recommendations posted . I just thought I would mention ottos are schooling fish and getting a couple will result on them being very stressed and most likely dying (A school of +10 is the minimum I would keep, and need other fish also moving around the aquarium for them to be at ease) , they are also wild caught and need very stable water parameters. They are an awesome fish for a large plated aquarium but not suitable for a small tank with 1 other fish unfortunately. Good luck with your betta , sounds you’re giving this little guy a lot of awesome care


----------



## Cherokee Rose (Jan 9, 2019)

Thanks for the help guys! I did end up finding some salt and pepper babies at a marine specialist store where they are captive bred. Only 3 where left, so I purchased them with the intent of adding more once new babies came in! They were so tiny and awesome little guys, but went absolutely mad in my tank. They darted everywhere, to the point of occasionally bumping into Squiggles, my betta. Poor guy hid in the plants and stared at me like I'd caused a home invasion. He's a very soft boy. He went after them twice and then decided to ignore them. Unfortunately, after a day of terrorising him, I transportated the cories back to the store, where they were already recieving enquiries from someone looking to buy them. I absolutely LOVED the little guys, but my poor Betta was getting so stressed because he's such an active swimmer who was constantly getting bombarded by the little guys. A small school of them would be no good for him, so I wanted to do the best for both and make sure they could live in a school in a different home. However, I do have a zebra snail now to keep as a tankmate. He keeps dropping small white worm-like things, which I'm assuming is poop! But otherwise, Squiggles seems really content and comfortable!


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

The white stuff are eggs. So you have a female Nerite.

For future reference, you gave up on Squiggles too soon. One day is not enough time to evaluate how a Betta will do with tank mates. The "unless" is unless they show immediate and continuous aggression. 

I would say, though, that if Squiggles is comfortable with his Zebra Nerite you did the right thing in returning the Habrosus.


----------



## Cherokee Rose (Jan 9, 2019)

Thank you! Yes, I thought it best. As much as I wanted to keep them in and give them a few days, little Squiggles got to a point that he actually didn't want to move and was clearly very stressed. I thought it wasn't going to be fair on either fish, especially when their school got bigger. It was just not enough space for such active swimmers. He was really good with them, just that they where a bit too hectic and took up most of the swimming space, especially with all their zipping around. If I upgrade to a bigger tank though, it is something I may very well try again! I know cories tend to be bottom dwellers, but I think these guys were a little hyperactive! 🙂 Again, I appreciate the advice!!!


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

FWIW, when introducing new critters float the bag in a dark tank and leave the lights off for at least an hour...overnight is better...after they are released. This allows the new guys to get used to a new environment and settle down. It also prevents the Betta from being agitated by all of the activity both in and out of the bag.

Most fish are a little more active when they are young and/or first introduced into a tank. At least that has been my experience. But nothing in aquatics is set in stone. ;-)


----------



## Cherokee Rose (Jan 9, 2019)

That is fantastic advice, thank you!!! I will certainly do that if/when I try again! And absolutely! I'm very new to this, so not 100% clued up on all fishy law just yet, but unpredictable things are to understandably be expected! It's a very rewarding experience! 🙂 I love it!


----------



## RNHime (Mar 12, 2015)

I will say this, nerites are fantastic for algae, which cories never did anything for in my tank! I don't know if nerites are that great about eating leftover food, but you can't go wrong with them for algae eating while leaving plants alone. Female nerites will occasionally leave white dots around the tank. Those are eggs, which won't develop in freshwater even if they had been fertilized. Their poops do look like very short worms, and the color depends on what they've eaten. Usually green, because algae! But possibly lighter/white due to biofilm. Yummm... lol.

Stuffing your aquarium with more plants/letting them grow in will help with absorption of excess nutrients in the water from decaying foods. You could eventually try adding cherry shrimp when you have lots of plant cover! Your betta may decide he loves shrimp dinners, but if he'll at least leave the adults be they are excellent little cleaners of both algae and dropped foods, and space isn't an issue the way it is for schooling bottom dwellers. Plus they are very fun to watch.


----------

