choosing suitable tank mates for a small aquarium

[oceanfox]

Even shrimp can be a gamble, as some bettas see them as a potential meal.

Cory's still getting along great with my betta. He's quite the little troublemaker, swims up to the nest, pops a few bubbles, and then makes a run for it - betta gives chase, but always returns to his eggs. He doesn't seem to care about the eggs at all.

I'm still thinking about adding a few more panda corys, but I'm not sure if I have the space - maybe two, possibly three, but I'm not done stocking yet. I've also been considering some Thai micro crabs, people say they're okay with bettas since they stay small. The store where I got Cory has some more panda corys around the same size, so I might grab a couple more. It seems like Cory stresses the betta more than he's stressed himself, if anything.

[limber]

I'm curious, are there any other fish besides cories that can coexist with a betta in a medium-planted 10g tank? I've read mixed reviews about housing multiple fish with bettas in smaller tanks, so I'm being cautious. What's your experience with this?

I'm surprised no one has brought up pygmy corys yet. I've got a male betta in my 10-gallon tank, and he's living with six pygmy corys and a thriving colony of yellow cherry shrimp. It's been working out great for me so far.