Betta likes the corys - Strange but true

My betta, Rusty, likes the corys. I don't mean he's curious or anything, I mean that he actually enjoys hanging around with them. I never saw anything like it. When they're feeding for instance he will hang around, watching, and then now and then act like they do, poking his nose at the gravel and plants. When they're swimming around in their school he follows them on occasion. Now and then one of them bugs him a bit but if it gets too annoying he nips the cory and the catfish swims away. He seems to particularly enjoy the company of the largest one. The larger cory has tried doing that cory piggy back game with him but he doesn't like that so much and tends to leave when that happens.

I've never heard of a betta liking the company of other fish before, but it seems to be true.

 

My old Betta use to do that. He would swim with my platies and mollies. He use to swim with them, he never attacked them and they never attacked him. The only occasion he would stop swimming with them was if I came to the tank, then he would come up to me and swim along the front of the tank, then I would stick my finger in there and he would swim up to me and start rubbing on my finger, kinda like I was petting him. He was unusual, but I loved him. Now he's gone. :'(

 

well atleast ur bettas never gave u the cold shoulder for days on end!! InarI keeps doing that to me like there is no tomorrow I think he's mad at me for making him fast for a day after he let a huge one go idk tho .

 

Awww, I'm sorry about that. Well, hopefully one day he'll let you touch him. Its a great feeling to have when your little buddy trusts you that much.

 

yeah he is probly mad at me for the fast, but he'll get over it by the end of the week!! ;P

 

InarI was not feeling well. He will come around when his world gets back to normal and he is feeling better. He doesn't understand that what you did was for his own good, but he will forget that he was hungry for a day once he has had some meals under his little tummy. Just be careful and make him chew his food or he is going to have a problem again. Did you say he likes the peas?

I am so glad that Rusty is so good with the Cories. It is really surprising to me as the way he started out he was a little standoffish. Now that he has company he may be more loving. Maybe he just needed some company. He may really have been lonely. You are going to have fun watching their interaction. Let us know about their little escapades as they go along if you would like to, it sounds very interesting. Congratulations you really have a very novel situation. You do not see this too often, that they get along right from the start. Maybe the small tank inside the bigger one did the trick. Perhaps the others who are considering adding tank mates should try this as well.

Rose

 

Rose is quite right, the greedy fellows need to have that appetite curbed a bit.
However I have good news, Rusty has learned that when I go to feed him I'm not going to tease him, that he will get the food. Thus he is less frantic about it. Maybe InarI will learn too.

Watching them, it's a bit amusing because Rusty didn't really seriously investigate the gravel before, but now he does...as if he's trying to figure out what they're up to. Just seeing him now he went over to where a cory had been snuffling among some rocks and peered in as though to say "What's the big deal?"

 

Bettas are very curious creatures and now he has some "pets" to play with and spend some time trying to figure out. It is going to be fun for you to watch him trying to figure them all out. ;D

Rose
;D

 

InarI likes peas and I have been giving him some they don't float very well for so I have to use tweezers and every time he sees me open up my desk draw with the tweezers in it he gets all excited its kinda cute, but he has gotten over it still glaresat me now and then if i'm a few minutes late with his food.

On the exploring end of him he doesn't poke the gravel much except when he gets a partial water change and then he does it as if to say. "If your going to mess up my gravel don't let me see it!" that's him for you tho very selfish and wants everything perfect...even the plants that he has a habit of pulling up when they aren't perfect!!

 

Actually Rusty has figured out that the corys' pellets are food. I don't think now that I watched him for a bit that he's actually hungry or genuinely eating them; it's more like a status thing. He rushes in, chases them off, pecks a pellet and then wanders off. Weird fish.

 

Showing the Cories who is boss, hum?? It is true that he does sound like a strange little fish, but cute as a button. Have fun.

Rose

 

Thank you, I am having fun. I really do think that's it; Rusty seems to believe that if the tank lid is open he is going to be fed. And it also seems as you said to be a boss of the tank thing. He never really attacks the corys, just chases them if they seem to be doing something that is 'his'.

I wonder if anyone has noticed that bettas seem to like particular things a certain way in their tanks. Like Rusty seems to like a collection of the larger more colorful rocks. The corys unfortunately like it too because they can push a pellet up against one of them and snuffle away at it like piglets. Rusty seems to chase them more when they do that. When he was first getting used to the tank he would now and then swim down there and inspect the rocks. Who knows what a fish actually thinks? Maybe he likes them. It's mysterious but fun.

 

maybe but I really think they like their tank a certain way!!! and the cories may be teasing him by messing with what he thinks should be normal who really knows tho....

 

Bettas are VERY territorial and once they have it in their minds that something belongs to them, it is THEIRS. there is a constant battle over the small cave in Noel's tank. If I had the room I would put 3 of them in there. The Otos like to sleep there and the Snail likes it in there. AND it is the one place at the bottom of the tank that Noel says OUT of to everyone but himself. He spends very little time there unless he catches someone else there. The snail confounds him something fierce as he cannot scare him out of there, but the Otos have learned that they go in at their own risk.

Such a funny funny life.

Rose

 

yeah Betta's are very territorial but mine has learned to share his cave with all my sharks nice thing to see! lol but any other fish then my 5 sharks they better run if he spots them in his cave!! my Betta really loves to cuddle up with both of my iridescent or my red tail but doesn't mind my 2 ballas either lol and he'll occasionally let in my pleco... I think he thinks my pleco is his "maid" lol cause he only lets him in hen its growing algae!

 

That is cute a betta 'loving' other fish wow that is utterly amazing and a rare gift!!

 

It is a truly rare Betta who gets along with Sharks and vice versa. You are indeed very lucky.

Rose

 

I think it serves as a cool reminder that the more intelligent fish species are really individuals. Bettas certainly are...it's amazing what personalities these small creatures have. That should also be a reminder I guess to treasure them.

 

And when they look you in the eyes .... ;D it is SO easy to treasure the moment. Those little INNOCENT faces LOL. I could wax poetic here so I will stop. (I know I am really sappy, but I do love my Bettas) ;D

Rose

 

Innocent...hm. That's not a phrase I would readily apply to Rusty. Rusty knows exactly everything that goes on in 'his' tank. I've tried many tricks when feeding him but he's always wise to them. Somehow (by amazing fish senses) he knows where I've dropped pellets for the catfish and will rush at them anyway.

However I know what you mean...some fish don't really seem to look back at you, but bettas definitely do. There's definitely a connection. To think I nearly didn't get him...

Howver, I can say after having had him with the corys for a while that he's getting along just fine. I think btw that one thing that helps is that they all have a reasonable amount of space.

 

yeah when u get them a bigger tank and pay attention to them they tend to love u more like InarI i'm almost always at my computer, and if i'm else where in my room doing something besides playing on the computer he cops and attitude when I come over to feed he'll try to take my finger with the pellet its really is funny tho

 

Skylar is funny. He's the one that stays at my job on my desk. Every morning, when I first come in, he looks at me like "Where the heck have you been?" Then I feed him and he gets all excited. Then ALL day he'll lay on top of his plant and look at me like " I love you daddy!!" I'm serious, he does this.

 

cute...when mine gets really mad at me he won't even come up to the top for food once I had to fast him for 24 hrs 'cause of constipation InarI wouldn't even look at me that day and the next he was so mad he got over it tho

 

Its funny. I would like to know what goes through their little head. It would be kinda interesting.

 

What a fine bunch of Betta parents we are. It is obvious you all love your little friends and I am so pleased. They do wrap us right about their fins now don't they?

Rose
;D

 

worse than a dog the dog looks at u begging for food u say, "NO, NOW GO LAY DOWN" and they usually do...a betta starts begging from their tank u say no no no no no no no and they just look at u like u have a guppy in ur ear come on I know u understand what i'm saying...well that is what say to mine anyway

 

I'm getting snubbed as well. I tried today feeding the corys first and Rusty last. This was not received well. The first time Rusty charged at their stuff and then ate some, even though he doesn't seem to like it. Then when I got home from work and fed them again Rusty sailed right by me trying to feed him and in fact when I lowered a pellet he actually turned away and went to another part of the tank.

 

Looks like you have an stubburn Betta on your hands. Skylar is pleased, he's the only fish at my job. So he's ALWAYS statisfied with whatever I do. (Off the subject. Skylar is still in the hospital tank. I haven't had time to fix the crack in his home. But he made a bubble nest in the hospital tank. He seems extremely happy in that 1gal tank. Should I leave him in there?? Sorry for goin off the subject, we're talkin about of friends being happy. He seems happier in the 1gal.)

 

InarI is still in his 1 gallon tank with no filter or heater...I would not advice this but every time I turn around he's making a new bubble nest or adding to an old one he is also next to a window and therefore in the sun a good part of the day he doesn't seem to mind it but he likes to hang out under his bubble nest until dinner time so I think it will surfice for now but as soon as u get that crack fixed and ur tank cycled again I would put him back in there if he doesn't like it well u tried now didn't u

 

he may think he likes the one gallon, but I promise you that he will love the big tank when he gets used to it. Marty was confused when he got his big tank and hung in the water like he was afraid to move for the first day or two and now he races around like a demon. they are just so used to being cramped that it is unfamiliar to be in a roomy area. Please do not leave him in the small tank. You are taking a very big chance on letting him pick up the cool water diseases because there is Not Safe Way to heat and filter a 1 gallon tank. And unless you do almost daily water changes he will eventually suffer from ammonia poisoning. (the tank cannot be cycled without a filter).

Skylar will be okay for a very short time while his tank is being fixed but then he needs to go home to the bigger tank.

Rose

 

I want to back up what was just said: I was amazed at how Rusty seemed to come to life in the big tank. You think of bettas as being fairly quiet slow moving fish that don't really do much. Give them something to do and just sit back and watch...Rusty moves all over the tank, watching the corys feed, now and then staring at the snail, as if trying to figure out what it could be, dodging in among plants, now and then 'surfing' the filter. He used to spend more time flaring up but he only does that now if there is just the aquarium light on and the rest is dark so that there is a very clear reflection of himself.

Furthermore, if you have a really small tank all you get is the betta, whereas with a larger one you can try having some tankmates, try some interesting decor out and also very importantly get the best filter you can afford.