# Male Betta Tankmates



## fishi91 (Mar 21, 2008)

I have a male betta and a peppered cory and i wondered if they are going to get along?
I put them in together and the male betta chased the cory around for a few seconds with his cheeks puffed out but now they are both ok, they swim up to each other and swim away fine.
Will i have problems in the future?? I dont want to take one back but if i have to i will.
help please!


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

How big is this tank?

Honestly, a peppered cory needs a school of at least 5 more tankmates, and a 20 gallon tank. Please take back the cory unless you can provide a suitable environment for it. If you want tankmates for your betta, you generally need a tank bigger than the ones marketed for bettas. At least a 10 gallon, in my opinion.


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## it4lian (Mar 4, 2008)

What size tank you got em in already? If you got a bigger one do what trashion said and get more cories.


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## fishi91 (Mar 21, 2008)

I have a 2 gal. octangular tank which is good for the beta. I didnt know corys needed to school  the petsmart thingy said they would be good in a 1+ tank. Oh well i am getting a 10gal today so it shouldnt be a prob. So if i get a 10 gal and a few more corys, i can keep the beta? Also can i get other fish too?


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## NatBarry (Feb 19, 2008)

2 gallon! You seriously need to get a bigger tank....there should be atleast 6+ cory's together. If you are getting a 10 gallon then that's good , you could keep the beta but when you introduce more cory's, dont add them separate or the beta will think its his birthday. What type is the cory that you already have? I would suggest pygmy corys because they are small and around 5 would be ok in a 10g.


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## it4lian (Mar 4, 2008)

Yeh get some pygmy cory's, I'd think you could keep probaly 6 or 7 with the betta in a 10 gallon, be hard as hell to find though, so good luck and try to find em online, unless your lucky enough to have a lfs that sells em.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

The peppered cory will have to go if you're only going with a 10 gallon. A school of them will need a tank of at least 20 gallons. You can get a school of pygmy cories (not available at petsmart or other chains, check local specialty fish stores) and put maybe 8 in there. That would stock your tank. Alternatively, you could get a school of lemon, neon, or other small-bodied tetra to keep with the betta. 6-8 would do just fine.


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## fishi91 (Mar 21, 2008)

will petsmart take the cory back?


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

No. It's against policy for PetsMart to accept animals. Some Petcos will accept them, but you're better off finding a local fish store. Where are you located? Try typing "town state tropical fish" in google.


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## fishi91 (Mar 21, 2008)

I am going to set up a tetra tank with the beta and try and find a home for the cory. What would be the best substrate and live plants for a tetra tank?? Thank you so much for all of the advice.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Live plants are a whole other heap of work. For plain ol' stock lighting that comes with a 10 gallon setup, you'd be fine with just plain gravel, anubias, and java fern. Actually, here, I found this link, and it looks useful:
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/plants/Dunaway_Planted_Tank.html


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## RBRMarsico (Oct 8, 2008)

I have a 2.5 gallon tank that I just put my male Betta in last week, and I'm wondering if I'd be able to give him a tankmate. Is it possible to get a compatible fish in this tank that has a decent amount of plants/hiding places?


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

A 2.5 is just too small for tankmates. You'll see, the betta will get quite a bit bigger, and he will use the whole tank!

For more responses, start a new thread.


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