Pygmy corys

[Cris]

Can pygmy corys live with dwarf crayfish or bettas?

[clownbaby]

Hey!

I have pygmy cories and from what I can tell, dwarf crayfish might not be a good match. They are pretty small (adults are typically a mere inch,) and they are a bit skittish around my mystery snail. Crayfish are indeed a predator, and they might go after pygmy cories; remember, pygmy cories are tiny, maybe one inch. Pygmy cories are also really skittish and shy, so being bullied or chased can really scare them. 

A ten gallon is a minimum and they need to be kept in a shoal of at least six. More is ideal.

A betta fish should be a good match as long as you keep them in a larger tank (at least ten gallons) with dense plantings and territory claims. Do you have a male or female betta? A female would be best.

[Cris]

I have a male betta. I also had them in a 5 gallon tank. It is on my side table by my chair so I can enjoy watching them. I have other tanks but I'm not sure they would do well in those either. I have a gold severum in a community tank. I think he ate my dwarf crayfish that I had in there. I can't find him anywhere. I know they are predatory fish but I had to move him from my larger tank because my blue acara was bullying him relentlessly. I love my dwarf crayfish

[JE47]

I agree with @clownbaby a crayfish is going to see your pygmies as a snack so I wouldn't do that combination. A betta should be fine but as with all betta fish you can't tell how they are going to react to tankmates. Do already have the betta in the tank? If you do you might want to change around the decor when you introduce the cories that way the betta doesn't have established territory and kill the cories.

[Cris]

I did not know the beta would kill the cory's. I did catch my crayfish holding on to his tail fin though. I have a Dumbo betta male. I was wondering would my gold severum attack and eat a dwarf crayfish? I don't have a lot of options for the crayfish as far as tanks go.

[aminowrimo]

Your betta may not kill the cories; it's betta dependent whether they are aggressive. A dumbo betta male may not be fast enough to catch pygmy cories.

However, you can better ensure that the betta won't see the cories as intruders into his territory (and therefore be more likely to kill them) by moving decor around so that the betta is more likely to see the cories as part of the territory rather than intruders.