pygmy cories with bettas? and plecos?

moonstream

moonstream

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Nov 5, 2007
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Jayne
I saw a bunch of them at petco today, and absolutely fell in LOVE! they're just the cutest little things, teeny tiny and so shy. but I'm worried they might be too tiny... I would be putting them in my 29g with a bunch of female bettas (at least 6, maybe more) and want to be sure I wont run into any problems there?

also, I'd like at least one pleco in the 29, I think. I was considering bristlenose or candystripe/rio-negro, mostly. maybe a rubberlip or bulldog, if I find one and really like it. could I keep more than one pleco? like a bristlenose and a candystripe? will I run into problems with aggression?

also- will any of those plecos listed help with algae? if not, would a few zebra nerites work? or a few ottos, maybe?
 
None of the fish listed will eat algae. Bristlenoses get lazy as they get older so you're better off getting snails or otos. Nerites are best at eating algae plus they're small:). The pygmys would swim at mid to bottom level so I would stick to only one pleco. I had one bristlenose with corys and he was mean. When the corys would eat, he would sneak up behind and attack them. He wasn't even stealing the food. I think he just liked to chase after the corys. I had them a 20long and it was only the corys and bristlenose. I'm pretty sure the bettas will be ok in the tank. Just don't get more than one pleco because mine ended up killing one of his female before I put him with the corys.
 
We had six pygmy cories in a planted tank with just shrimp and chili rasboras. We never ever saw the pygmies. They all jammed themselves into any nooks they could find behind the driftwood or the rocks. You'd turn the light on in the morning and they would scatter in a panic and find somewhere to hide for the day. We got six more and that seems to have calmed them down slightly, but the new tank is lightly decorated so they have nowhere to hide so they all pile into one corner of the tank and sit there.

That said, I have seen them, from afar, school and it looks really cool. And when they school, they move up into the middle of the tank. They go about their normal behavior sometimes when I'm close and just low and still. I never see them eat so I think they just wait until it's dark.

I think they can work. My plan is to give them soft cover. No more large solid objects to hide behind. Instead I'm going to add taller broad leaf plants like Amazon swords on half the tank.
 
it should be fine, but i agree with sora, they really won't eat algae

and ime, plecos don't bother corys at all, if u want 2, get a clown and something else, if 1, just a ABN as they are smaller than regular Bns
 
sora1600 said:
None of the fish listed will eat algae. Bristlenoses get lazy as they get older so you're better off getting snails or otos. Nerites are best at eating algae plus they're small:). The pygmys would swim at mid to bottom level so I would stick to only one pleco. I had one bristlenose with corys and he was mean. When the corys would eat, he would sneak up behind and attack them. He wasn't even stealing the food. I think he just liked to chase after the corys. I had them a 20long and it was only the corys and bristlenose. I'm pretty sure the bettas will be ok in the tank. Just don't get more than one pleco because mine ended up killing one of his female before I put him with the corys.
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YMMV, of course, but my BN does a great job on algae still, and is about 3.5-4 or so inches. I think it's a male, but I'm not 100% certain, so there may still be some growth coming, as well as an impending slacking of the algae eating job. So far, all of his aggression has been on whatever's on whatever he wants to eat, whether it be vegetables or wafers. It's kinda funny to watch the fleeing shrimp and cardinals. I think most of the other plecos you listed are the more carnivorous ones that will not help with algae at all. If you have sufficient space for individual territories, you can probably prevent pleco aggression, but again, YMMV. I've thought about getting another BN, but I've got much more space (55 gal.) than you do, so I'm sure that'll play a role.

Nerites are good at eating algae, but :swear:, I'm getting tired of nerite eggs all over the bloomin place. :mad2: They won't hatch because they need brackish water to breed, but my nerites are all apparently happy, because the eggs keep cropping up. As for being small, I have one tiger (red spot, whatever) nerite that's as big as most mystery snails, a small horned and tiger, and a zebra that's kinda in the middle for size. There may be some growth issues on those, but they're pretty active. Just make sure that you have enough minerals in your water, or supplement, for good shell growth. There are some "snail jello" recipes on one of the forums, and I'm going to try some of those out soon.
 
As far as pygmy cories go I've kept them in with my snail and shrimp killing betta who completely ignored them since they rarely share the same areas of the tank. The other poster is correct about them not being seen much mine hide by my heater and will occasionally come out at feeding time and swim with the larger cories, other then that they're invisible 99% of the time.
 
huh, well, looks like a no to the pygmy cories, then!

I was also considering kuhli loaches; they're such cool fish, but I have a feeling they may be the same as the cories in not wanting to come out, ever.

perhaps I'll just go with my original plan of normal-sized cories (pandas if I can find them, if not- albinos).

anyone have any experience with kuhli loaches, out of curiosity? or candystripe (rio-negro) plecos? the candystripes are availible at petco pretty often, and are quite attractive little fish, IMO. albino bristlenoses are also easy for me to find. I'd love a LFABN, of a calico if I could find one, perhaps. I'll definitely be sticking to one pleco- I had a feeling they'd be too aggressive for more than one to live together, oh well.
 
In my experience, pygmy cories are not shy at all. I've had some in the past, and I just got 12 more a couple days ago from Rjb3. I have them in a well planted 29g with wild guppies and Bolivian rams, and they are always toodling around at the front of the tank. I would suggest giving them a shot as long as you get a fair number of them and keep them in a tank with plenty of plant cover.
 
moonstream said:
huh, well, looks like a no to the pygmy cories, then!

I was also considering kuhli loaches; they're such cool fish, but I have a feeling they may be the same as the cories in not wanting to come out, ever.

perhaps I'll just go with my original plan of normal-sized cories (pandas if I can find them, if not- albinos).

anyone have any experience with kuhli loaches, out of curiosity? or candystripe (rio-negro) plecos? the candystripes are availible at petco pretty often, and are quite attractive little fish, IMO. albino bristlenoses are also easy for me to find. I'd love a LFABN, of a calico if I could find one, perhaps. I'll definitely be sticking to one pleco- I had a feeling they'd be too aggressive for more than one to live together, oh well.
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I've got 5 Kuhli's in one of my tanks, they are more active then my pygmy's, they're not out and about all the time but I do see them out pretty often. They're in with 6 full size cories 3 albino 3 julii, quite fun watching the kuhli's and them interact at feeding time one of them will push shrimp pellets into his cave under the lava rock to keep the corries off it :) In a 29g if you get atleast 5 of them they shouldn't be to shy.
 
what does 'not too shy' mean though? seeing them once a week? seeing them once a month? or every day? I'd like to see them every day, even if it is only at feeding time. if the kuhli's will come out all of once or twice a week, I may just skip them.

would 5-6 kuhli's be okay with 3 (normal sized) cories in a 29, do you think?
 
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