# Betta and cory



## leedavidford (Apr 27, 2014)

Hey,

So, I have tried mixing betta and cory a couple times now. 
A while back I had 5 pygmy cory with my red male VT. He killed them one by one, although they were faster than him he was relentless and managed to eventually catch them off guard. This was in a 10g. 

I now have 2 albino cory and 2 peppered cory. They are inseparable and they school together. My red VT hated them too, so I moved him to his own 5g. 

I tried my more docile male betta, my purple VT with them. 
All was good for a couple weeks until I noticed chunks missing from their fins. 
I then caught him flaring and chasing them. Again, my male betta was moved to his own 5g (he prefers being on his own, he perked up massively in his own tank) 

I now have my female DT plakat (that's what I think she is) with the cory and everything seems fine! Shes now been with them for over 3 weeks and there hasn't been any signs of aggression! She sometimes steals their food but on the plus side she doesn't try to eat them! Lol 

When introducing my betta and cory I always added the cory first so the betta wouldn't already claim territory but that didn't seem to work, my male betta want the whole tank! 
I did a lot of research before putting them together, although a lot of stuff u find online is very conflicting about 75% of the stuff i found said they'd be good tank mates as betta will stay near the top and cory will stay near the bottom. In my experience this wasn't the case, my cory got all up in my bettas face! 

I think I will only keep female betta in community tanks from now on(only one tho, had a bad exp with a sorority) my boys like their own space! 

Would be interested to hear if anyone has had any luck keeping male betta and cory together! 
I think it's really down to the betta, I must just have an eye for the aggressive ones lol 

Here is my girl with one of the albinos -


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## Sathori (Jul 7, 2013)

I have albinos in with my male DeT betta. He gave them each a poke, and left them alone since. He's always stealing their food, but has never shown any aggression towards them. He uses them to find food since he knows there's something good when the corydoras are excited xD


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## aselvarial (Feb 21, 2014)

no luck here. we tried three different bettas with cories. None of them were having it. They have snail friends now.


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## Agent13 (Apr 23, 2013)

Absolutely had luck here. I had my male betta in a 20 with green and albino corys (green not huge emerald ones!) . They were all great . The Corys did interact at times withy the betta but he was schooling with them so of course they would lol. For his last yr he lived in a 55g with all the same Corys but higher numbers Julii cory school, zebra loaches , angelicus botia , electric blue rams , a baby peacock eel, a school of threadfin rainbows and I thinks that's it .. Was a great match. Only fish he had an issue with at the very beginning were the rams .. But that ended after the first week. He passed away at 4yrs old and now a new betta is going in there after QT. 

So yes, corys *normally* should be fine with bettas. But as with any species that is the tiniest bit aggressive you run the chance of getting one particularly unruly one. It happens but doesn't mean that wasn't a good stocking choice ... Just meant you had the wrong betta . 


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## Pocketmew (Mar 25, 2014)

My betta has been doing fine with his cories, the most he does is try to steal their food. He is extremely passive though. He only flares at night when the light shines in his tank at just the right angle for him to clearly see himself haha. Even then he only attacks his reflection and not his cory cat buddies.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I have Pygmy and hasbrosus Cories with all my Bettas and nary a problem; however, mine are in heavily-planted tanks so the Bettas never have a "straight shot" at any of the fish or shrimp. But like Agent13 said, it can also depends on the Betta.


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## leedavidford (Apr 27, 2014)

Ah cool, I'm glad people have had more luck than I have! 
My purple VT is particularly agressive, he seemed so docile when I got him. he flares at anything near his tank Now, be it a lighter, remote control, his food, anything really! 
He's definitely not the right betta for a community tank! When I got him he was kept with angel fish in my LFS, they were chasing him and biting his tail. That's why I got him, wanted to save him! I think that's possibly why he hates all other fish! 

My girl betta gets on well with the cory, she practically steals their food out of their mouths but she shows no aggression towards them!


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## Mergatroyd (Nov 4, 2017)

I kept a 20 gallon tank for years as a kid, always had a betta, never had trouble. Now I have a 10 gallon, and after a few months of peaceful harmony, the betta is now bullying the cories and keeps them crowded into one corner. I assume they feed at night, but during the day they all crowd into one corner, and betta circles and flares at them. I bought some guppies in hopes that when they breed th betta will amuse himself stalking the guppy fry and leave the poor catfish alone. Long term plan is to get a larger tank for the cories and other fish and let the betta have the 10 gallon to himself with some tetras for company (he leaves them alone) and some sort of bottom feeder for clean-up.

I think some bettas are way more aggressive than others.


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## Mergatroyd (Nov 4, 2017)

I'm wondering how much tank size is a factor. Have kept a individual bettas in a communal 20 gallon tank in the past with not problem, but not having good luck in a 10 gallon now: betta is terrorizing cory cats.


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