The various types of corydora catfish are increasing in popularity again and although some types of cory have been very popular options within the fish keeping hobby for years, the pygmy corydoras is seeing a spike in their popularity right now.
Couple this with the huge popularity of betta fish then it is only natural that we will start to see people asking about keeping a pygmy cory with betta fish in the same tank.
The first point that we would raise that is a pygmy cory do better with a school and keeping 5 or more pygmy corydoras is usually recommended so you have to factor that in for your tank size.
We commonly see people overlook the importance of that so we wanted to try and help our readers realise this as soon as possible in our article.
With that out of the way, lets take a more detailed look at keeping pygmy corydoras with betta fish!
Are Pygmy Cories Aggressive?
Pygmy corydoras are usually peaceful fish and in the vast majority of cases they will not bother other fish in the aquarium.
They are known to be very social creatures though and love being kept in groups so we would always recommend keeping at least 5 together.
The only time that you might see pygmy corydoras become aggressive is when they are spawning or if you have a particularly territorial male pygmy cory.
For the most part though they are not an aggressive species of fish.
Are Betta Fish Aggressive?
Betta fish are a little more hit and miss when it comes to their aggression.
In most cases, betta fish are not going to pose much of a threat to other fish in the aquarium but there will always be some exceptions to this rule.
The main thing that you have to keep an eye out for is if your betta fish is feeling territorial.
If they start to feel like they are being threatened or like their territory is being invaded then they can become quite aggressive.
The other thing that you need to remember is that betta fish are known to be jumpers so you need to make sure that your aquarium is covered at all times.
Betta fish have been known to jump out of aquariums that are not properly covered so you need to be very careful.
Can You Keep A Pygmy Cory With A Betta Fish?
So, the big question is can you keep a pygmy cory with a betta fish?
The answer is yes but there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.
The first is that you need to make sure that your aquarium is big enough.
Pygmy corydoras do best in groups and they need a lot of space to swim around so you need to make sure that your aquarium is big enough for them.
A larger aqaurium also offers your pet betta fish plenty of space to keep away from the pygmy corydoras if it wants or for your pygmy corydoras to keep away from your betta to help keep aggression levels low.
The other thing that you need to keep in mind is that you need to be very careful about the betta fish that you choose.
As we mentioned before, some betta fish can be quite aggressive and if they are feeling territorial then they might start to pick on the pygmy corydoras.
You need to make sure that you choose a betta fish that is known for being peaceful and that you do not have any problems with aggression.
Unfortinatley, it can be difficult to workout the personolaity of your potential betta fish if you are purchasing from a pet store or local fish store that has only kept the betta in a solo tank.
One little tip is to try and go with a female betta fish if possible as they tend to be less aggressive than male betta fish but please note, this is not always the case.
Do Betta Fish Eat Pygmy Corydoras?
One of the main concerns that people have when keeping pygmy corydoras with betta fish is that the betta might see them as food.
The good news is that betta fish are not known for eating other fish unless they are particularly small.
The vast majority of betta fish will not see the pygmy corydoras as food but in smaller tanks or tanks without hides or plants, your betta may try to chase the pygmy corydoras and nip at their fins.
Will A School Of Pygmy Corydoras Be Ok With A Betta Fish?
The same rules apply for a school of pygmy corydoras as they do for a single fish.
You need to make sure that your aquarium is large enough, that you choose a peaceful betta fish and that you have plenty of hiding places and plants for your fish to hide in if they need to.
As long as you keep these things in mind then you should have no problems keeping a school of pygmy corydoras with a betta fish.
In smaller tanks, the rapid movements and skitish behavior of pygmy corydoras may stress your betta out, especially if there are no live plants to act as sight breaks and this may cause your betta to chase and nip the pygmy corydoras so keep that in mind.
What Tank Size Do You Need To Keep Pygmy Corydoras And Bettas In The Same Tank?
The minimum tank size that you should use for keeping pygmy corydoras and bettas together is usually 30 gallons but we recommend going with a 50 gallon tank or larger if possible.
A larger tank will give your fish plenty of space to swim around and it will also offer more hiding places which can be very important, especially if your betta fish is feeling territorial.
This also helps to offer you plenty of free space that can work in the favour of people new to the fish keeping hobby who are looking to keep pygmy Corydoras and bettas in the same aquarium tank.
We would actually recommend that you do keep this extra space free in your tank and avoid overstocking your tank if you are new until you build up some experience keeping the two species in the same tank.
Then, you can look to increase the number of pygmy corydoras in the tank from six to whatever the maximum allocation for your tank size is.
Do You Need to Keep Hides And Plants In The Tank?
We recommend that you do keep both hiding places and plants in your tank as we mentioned before, this can be very important, especially if you are keeping a betta fish with your pygmy corydoras.
The plants will help to provide some much-needed hiding places for your pygmy Corydoras and they will also help to offer some much-needed oxygenation for the water.
Some good plants that you can use in your tank include java ferns, hornwort and anubias.
As for hiding places, you can use anything from driftwood to rocks and caves.
You will need to make sure that your pygmy corydoras have plenty of places to hide as they are a very shy and skitish fish that does not like to be out in the open for too long.
The betta fish will also benefit from having some hiding places in the tank as it can help to reduce their stress levels.
How Do You Set Up A Tank For Pygmy Corydoras And Bettas?
When setting up your tank, you need to make sure that you use a good quality aquarium gravel and that you rinse it thoroughly before adding it to your tank.
You will also need to add some plants and hiding places as we mentioned before.
It is a good idea to set up your tank a few days before adding any fish to it as this will give the gravel time to settle and it will also give you a chance to make sure that your tank is set up correctly.
When adding your fish, we recommend that you add the pygmy corydoras first and then leave them for a few days before adding your betta fish.
This will give the pygmy corydoras a chance to settle into their new home and it will also give you a chance to see how they are getting on before adding another fish to the tank.
Adding your betta fish first can increase the chances of it feeling territorial in the tank and cause problems later down the line.
