Not sure which corys I want :(

So I'm going to be making a planted tank for my betta once I get the cash (soon, in other words) and I know I want a small school of corys to handle things on the bottom of the tank. The problem is, I can't decide on which type of cory I want, and I don't really want to mix n match corys and hope they school. The ones I like the most are False JuliI Corys, Skunk Corys, and Peppered Corys. Any advice? Also, it'll be a 20 gallon long, so I should have room for 6, right?

 

So many varieties to chose from.....have you thought about Pandas? The dwarf varieties? I love Red lasers.

 

I'm not a real big fan of pandas (I feel like they look to much like clown loaches to me), and the only ones i've really looked at are the ones on a website... Never heard of Red Lasers or dwarfs, so I'll look those up.

 

Firstly, I wouldn't keep any other species with a betta.

As for corys, I have a few species and although the loxozonus is my fave, the peppered is a close second.

 

I love the panda cories and they are just great. They look better than the other cories according to me, but are a bit more sensitive than other cories. The adolfoi variety is good looking and hardy but are like 20 dollars each.

 

HI Ted B,

Our local club, GSAS, just enjoyed a meeting this week where Ian Fuller (noted corydoras breeder/expert from the UK) was our speaker. There is a multitude of corys to choose from out there but my favorite, and one that schools better than any other type I have kept, is: Corydoras sterbai

Corydoras sterbai

 

I have a trio of bandit cories and I love them, they're really cute, always snuffling around in the gravel and on the plants and decor, or hanging out in their little group at the bottom. People say they can be sensitive but all three of these guys survived 6 weeks of my tank not cycling at all with just really high ammonia and then the last 2 weeks of it cycling, and they're still going strong.

 

There is a multitude of corys to choose from out there but my favorite, and one that schools better than any other type I have kept, is: Corydoras sterbai

I've never kept Cory's, but from the ones I've seen the Sterba's at the local stores are very pretty.

 

Love my 12 Panda's....very gregarious

 

Has anybody kept cories with a betta before? I would imagine in a 20G with enough decor it would be fine. From my short cory knowledge and experience my tops would be:

ANY!
*sterbaI - IMO the prettiest (a lot of pics don't do them justice). likes warmer water
*false juliI - also pretty
*peppered - stay small, popular and can get them cheap, and look nice (probably my choice)
*pygmy - these guys are tiny (~1" max), and from what I hear, will swim more. Plus you could get more of them

...the only ones I wouldn't go with (solely on tank size) are the emerald green cories. these guys apparently aren't true cories, who knows. They are built like tanks and get to around 3".

 

Yes, I have kept a betta with cories in a 20 gallon. I recently returned my betta but that wasn't because of the cories... there were no issues with them, they're very peaceful, and don't look anything close to something the betta would consider a threat. Something (I'm thinking either neons or guppies) were actually bullying the betta and nipping his tail, and as a halfmoon he wasn't agile enough to evade them or fight back.

 

According to the site I found them on, Sterbai's get just as big as emerald corys, and need a 30 gallon >.> But I found a really pretty picture of one, so I do kinda like them.

 

If you go for false julii's, make sure they aren't charging you as if they're proper juliI corys. Some locations jack the price up for the latter, apparently they're hard to find? (I find the whole thing suspicious so just be wary of any corydora that's a good chunk of cash more than the others. They are all cute as heck.)

False julii's are super cute though. I find the benefit to keeping peppered's is that their markings tend to vary, so I can tell mine apart. This gives you the benefit of names for everyone in the school!

From what I can tell with my corys, the only time they would be a problem for the betta is if they dart up to the surface quickly for air and startle the thing. Know your betta's personality first. Seeing as you have your fighting fish already, you're in a good position to know if they're easily startled by speedy fish. Corys aren't normally hyper (I would describe them more as wiggly), but MAN can they torpedo about quickly when they need to!

 

They look like a group of puppies wagging their tails waiting for dinner. I find them hilarious!