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How much space do cory's need and do they need a filter?
I have a 4.5 gallon tank with one male betta in it at work. It is heated but not filtered. My betta refuses to eat off the bottom, so any food the falls makes a mess. I was trying to think of a bottom feeder i can add into this tank, that wont out grow it. I have some little corys in my 55 gallon tank at home, and i thought that they may be suitable (new ones though). If not the only other option i can think of is snails. Any ideas or knowledge would be appreciated
I have had my betta for two years without a filter (taken from a coworker who kept it in a tiny vase). I have a heater to regulate the temperature. Most bettas live long lives without filters. I do not over feed, food falls to the bottom because he gets so excited at feeding time he knocks have it to the bottom before he even starts eating.
I do weekly tank water changes and actively keep it clean, i just thought a bottom feeder might help with some of the mess that i normally clean out, and thought it would be cute in the tank.
Some of you need to get off your high horses
5 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
That tank is sadly far too small for corys. There are other alternatives however, the primary one being an Otocinclus or a Parotocinclus catfish. A single one will do okay in there. It will require filtration however, so consider adding a small external filter. Also, bear in mind that tank is too small for certain snails, as trapdoor snails and apple snails require larger aquaria. A small ramshorn or pond snail would be happy, however, providing it is not small enough to be eaten by the betta. A more active bottom feeder, however, would be a species of shrimp. I keep my bettas with various small exotic shrimp, but the commonly available ghost shrimp will do fine. A single ghost shrimp and a betta will do well together in that tank, but bear in mind younger ghost shrimp may be harrassed and eaten by bettas.
Ghost shrimp will eat almost anything - uneaten fish food, small amounts of algae, dead plants, dead animals, live foods and sometimes even sift through the betta's poop for small edible items.
Source(s): Years of experience in fishkeeping. - catxLv 71 decade ago
As Pleccy said, all fish need a filter, including a Betta.
4.5 gallons, even with a filter, is too small for a group of Corys and the water quality will not be good enough for the very fragile dwarf and pygmy species.
If there's food falling to the bottom you're feeding too much!
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Corys like to be in groups of three, but I don't think three will be happy in a 4.5 gallon tank that already has a fish in it. And yes, they do need a filter, all fish do.
Why don't you buy ghost shrimp? They would be perfect for the tank.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
All fish need a filter, and to be honest you shouldn't rely on other fish to clean up waste. Tank maintenance is a job for the fishkeeper. Also in my honest opinion I would say that the tank is too small for Corydoras.
Edit: High horses? I don't think so, stop the arrogance and start listening to people who know what they're doing.
- Vegan4life nomerLv 51 decade ago
Cory's, as well as bettas, need a filter and a heater. After you add that to the tank, 3 PYGMY cory cats would work. Not he normal cory's that get 3 inches, the pygmy ones that stay around one inch. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_corydoras
