Dealing with Betta bully

[jsparky]

(Also posted in Beginner discussion, hope it's OK to bring it here too!)

Newbie here, just got my first tank, these boards have been a great help!

A few days ago I brought home two peppered cories and a male betta for my 10 gallon. I added them with bio-spira and in terms of water quality, things are great.

But -- I've noticed the betta stalking and lunging at the cories. Sometime the cories just swim away and go back to sniffing the gravel, but sometimes they act terriried. They hide in a corner and push at the tank glass like they're trying to escape.

So far, the betta has not harmed the cories. If he does, he'll be out of there quick. However, I'm worried that the cories are getting stressed out and that the betta might attack and seriously injure one.

Any advice? Should I keep observing and hope the betta gets tired of bullying the cories? Or should I move him before a cory gets hurt?

I was also planning on adding three platies (with more bio-spira) soon. Do you think that might help? Maybe the betta will leave the cories alone more?

Thanks!

P.S. The betta doesn't flare at the cories -- maybe he's just curious or wants to play with them, I don't know!

 

[colesea]

Interesting. I have seen this happen before with one of my own bettas, and to me it appeared as if he had no clue what to make of the cories, but he never did them any harm. Usually the cories ignored him, and he ignored them. They were in six gallons of water, so there was plenty space for all.

I did at one time have a betta flare at a cory. I stopped it by using a rather, unorthadoxed, negitive reinforcement method. Animal Rights' fanatics might have issues with this, but no harm came to any fish for it.

I had my cory and betta in a plastic one gallon tank, that's why this method was easy to use. When the betta would flare at the cory, I'd flick the side of the tank, startling both fish, but the betta would startle and forget the cory. I did this several times in a row, every time the betta flared at the cory.

Then, I didn't. The betta would look at the cory, flare a bit, "think twice" about it, then swim away. When he didn't flare, I didn't flick the tank. I'd let him "think about it" three or four times in a row, then on the fifth time, flick the side of the tank just to reinforced the message, don't mess with cory, big bad bang will happen.

Thus he learned, don't mess with the cory. Took him about an afternoon to do it. You do have to watch for extinction of said learned behavior, and give an occasional flick every now and again if you do witness flaring behavior at the cory, but to tell you the truth, I think the one I trained in this fashion never gave the cory any trouble again.

As for the platies, without knowing the size tank you have, I can't make a reccomendation.
~~Colesea

 

[colesea]

Interesting. I have seen this happen before with one of my own bettas, and to me it appeared as if he had no clue what to make of the cories, but he never did them any harm. Usually the cories ignored him, and he ignored them. They were in six gallons of water, so there was plenty space for all.

I did at one time have a betta flare at a cory. I stopped it by using a rather, unorthadoxed, negitive reinforcement method. Animal Rights' fanatics might have issues with this, but no harm came to any fish for it.

I had my cory and betta in a plastic one gallon tank, that's why this method was easy to use. When the betta would flare at the cory, I'd flick the side of the tank, startling both fish, but the betta would startle and forget the cory. I did this several times in a row, every time the betta flared at the cory.

Then, I didn't. The betta would look at the cory, flare a bit, "think twice" about it, then swim away. When he didn't flare, I didn't flick the tank. I'd let him "think about it" three or four times in a row, then on the fifth time, flick the side of the tank just to reinforced the message, don't mess with cory, big bad bang will happen.

Thus he learned, don't mess with the cory. Took him about an afternoon to do it. You do have to watch for extinction of said learned behavior, and give an occasional flick every now and again if you do witness flaring behavior at the cory, but to tell you the truth, I think the one I trained in this fashion never gave the cory any trouble again.

As for the platies, it may or may not make a distraction from the cories, but you might just simply re-direct the betta's aggression, and you'll have the platies in a fright. An overly aggerssive betta is best by himself.
~~Colesea

 

[jsparky]

Colesea -- thanks for the suggestion. I never would have thought of trying to train the betta. It's amazing how much personality little fishes have!

For now, I'll keep a close eye on the betta and see if I can scare him away from the cories. If not, well, good excuse to get another (small) tank!

UPDATE: The betta is not longer terrifying the cories. He swims over to them sometimes, but the cories just ignore him so he swims away.

I think they just needed time to get used to each other. Thanks again for your help!