TFA101

Ok, i might totally forget about the whole bigger tank or new stock for the 20 ideas. I want a betta. I'm @ one of my friend's house and their betta's like a puppy. I'm playing w/ him with the end of a ball point pen. I think I'm going to start begging my parents.

COBettaCouple

LOL.. Well, a Betta wouldn't complain about a tank that size, but a 6.6g bookshelf or 10g would be fun for a Betta. I like the bookshelf tank more since they're longer than the 10g tanks.

TFA101

I have a 12 gallon. A betta (male), 2 cories (panda?), and.... should I do anything else?

BettaGirl92

As long as the other fish you put in doesn't have long fins or are very colorful, as the betta may mistake it for another betta and become agressive.

LetDiceFly

As long as the betta is accepting the cories that you already have, since you have room, I would add 1 or 2 more of the same breed. They would be happier with a few more of their kind. You could also consider a couple otos, especially if you have any tendency to get algae in the tank, or if you intent to use real plants. I find that bettas really seem to appreciate real plants.

TFA101

Maybe if I could add a "centerpiece plant", what might u suggest?

LetDiceFly

I'm going to assume you have a low light tank and want an undemanding plant as far as care goes. A common route is a piece of driftwood with java fern, or anubias. These can be placed on the gravel as well. These do grow slow and can collect algae if you don't have something to eat algae. Water sprite is a good plant too and grows fast in any light, and has the benefit that it helps control algae by out competing the algae for nutrients in the water.

TFA101

I think the Java Fern/Driftwood idea would be best in my case, being a kid w/ lower financial rates LOL

COBettaCouple

I'd increase the cory shoal to 4 or 5 since you have the bioload for it. Then add the Betta after a few weeks so that you can, in effect, quarantine the corys to be sure they don't have anything that might carry over to your new Betta.

TFA101

I hear cories tend to carry parasites that are inactive for their whole life...

Anyways, is there a specific cory species to be kept w/ bettas? I commonly see albinos, and sometimes bronze. Does it matter what kind, cuz my buddy might get me a couple Pandas?

COBettaCouple

Any Cories would be good, just look at their adult sizes to be sure of staying inside the bioload of the tank.

LetDiceFly

Pandas are a good choice, they are smaller then average, and probably the cutest with the exception of some of the rarer ones that generally can only be found online.

voiceless_kat

Cories are a good companion. I have Shy-lo with cories, a blue apple snail and malaysian trumpet snails, and he steals their food all the time and follows the snails, little fart!! I like the cories also cuz the betta can't hurt them, with those little "armour plates" they have. I have bronze and pepper cories.

And welcome to the betta adoration club, you will be very happy, and your betta will be happy in that nice big tank.

Hope you will be able to post pics in a while.

Val

pamd

An added advantage to getting the corys first is that they will already be established in the tank. If you added them after the betta, the betta would have more chance of being aggressive toward them, since they would be entering his territory.

Corys are generally a really good choice for betta tankmates, as are otos. There's no guarantee the betta will get along with them, as each betta is different. Chances are good, though, that he will co-exist peacefully with either of these types of catfish.

You know about cycling the tank, right? If you don't know about cycling, don't hesitate to ask a bunch of questions. If the tank is not fully cycled already, it will be very important to wait until it is before introducing the corys.

Since you appreciate your friend's betta so much, you're really going to love having your own and getting to know him/her! It'll be hard to wait a few weeks, but that really is good advice COBettaCouple offered. Meanwhile, the corys will keep you happily entertained. They're really cute little mites!

TFA101

Cories and Bettas. My favorite fish...



As are neon tetras, tiger barbs. cherry barbs, angelfish, plecos, discus, shark-minnows, and the list just goes on, and on, and on...

COBettaCouple

Yea, I want to get some corys again sometime. The more, the merrier with them for sure since they seem to grow in character and antics the larger their school is. Even when we had 6 in a tank for a short while, they always respected our Betta as boss -- but would occasionally bump into Sora as they darted about. He was a mellow guy though and put up with the little buggers.

LetDiceFly

I have the pygmy cories in my larger tank, I love these little guys. They are different from other cories in that they spend most of their time swimming and they remind me of little hummingbirds as they flirt around the tank.

TFA101

Aside from online shipping services, is there any way I could find Corydoras Pygmaeus in stores?

chickadee

You can always ask at the LFS to see if they will order them for you with their regular order for fish if they do not stock them. Since they need to be kept in groups of 6 or more they would be a large enough bunch that they may do it for you. Otherwise, it would probably be hard to find them as I have not heard of many stores actually carrying them. They carry the more common types like the Peppered Cory or the Albino Cories as they are popular and easily found but they get a lot larger and only need schools of 3 to be content.

Rose

pamd

An independently owned lfs in my area carries pygmy Corydorus, specifically Corydorus Habrosus, fairly regularly. None of the chain stores around here do, though, as far as I know. They are nearly as diminutive as the Corydorus Pygmaeus and are really cute little mites.

LetDiceFly

Yes, the independent lfs I go to carries them (irregularly, I am waiting for a few more), and most of these types of stores will get them if you make a special request.