Beginner's Guide to Corydoras Catfish: Care, Tank Sizes, Tank Mates
The most reliable, social, yet peaceful bottom dwelling fish for freshwater community aquariums
Species Info:
Corydoras sp. Catfish are a group of species native to South America. They are quite popular in the aquarium hobby due to their docile nature, social needs, and their overall compatibility with almost all freshwater nano species and even some larger species such as larger New World Cichlids.
All Corydoras species belong to the family Corydoradinae, which is composed of around 170 known species total. Most species are similar in size, ranging between 1-5 inches in length, with females tending to be larger than males.
Despite the wide distribution of this family across South American freshwater ecosystems, you can find many species of Corydoras along the Amazon and Orinoco River Basins, where they are still sustainably harvested and collected for the aquarium hobby.
Corydoradinae have significant adaptations that allowed them to survive rainy and dry seasons. Of these includes the ability to gulp atmospheric air (to adapt to low-oxygen environments), and sensitive barbels that allow them to detect food under loose substrate. To note, some species also possess venomous barbs/spines as an adaptation to avoid succumbing to predation. Osteogaster aenea, formerly known as Corydoras aeneus is a confirmed species to have such spines. If a person is hit by a barb, there is no need to worry as the venom is not potent to humans. If it does occur, we recommend washing your hands with warm soap and water for about five minutes.
In 2024, a study was published that further recognized/validated 7 genuses to better organize Corydoradinae species based on evolutionary relationships.
These genuses are:
- Corydoras
-
Hoplisoma (Sterbai, Panda)
- Osteogaster (Osteogaster aeneus)
- Brochis (Brochis splendens)
- Aspidoras
- Scleromystax
- Gastrodermus (Pygmy Cory)
Despite this many in the aquarium hobby still classify them by their taxonomic synonym Corydoras. As previously stated, the reclassification better determines evolutionary relationships and species-specific husbandry.
Aquarium Set-Up & Care
Below you will find important information on how to ensure your Corydoras thrive under your care. Many
| General Water Parameters for Corydoras sp. (not species-specific) |
| Temperature: 72-82 °F (22-28 °C) |
| pH: 6.0-8.0 |
| Ammonia, Nitrite: 0 ppm |
| Nitrate: No more than 5 ppm |
| Hardness: 1-12° for both gH and kH |
Tank Size:
Corydoradinae can be quite active and are social fish, needing group sizes of at least 5-6 individuals to have optimal welfare. For the smallest of species such as G. pygmaeus (Pygmy Cory), a 10-gallon aquarium can house 6-8 individuals, however we recommend at least a 20-gallon long aquarium for almost all Corydoradinae species to provide ample space to shoal and forage.
Diet:
Corydoradinae are omnivorous and should receive a varied diet to have an excellent quality of life. We recommend feeding a variety of commercial flakes/pellets, alongside frozen and live foods. They will readily eat brine shrimp, bloodworms, blackworms, grindal worms, and tubifex as well. If you are intending to breed these catfish, we recommend feeding them frozen and live foods often (nearly daily) to condition them for spawning.
Corydoradinae will also forage in mulm/detritus, searching for microfauna such as planaria, and detritus worms.
Tank Mates:
Corydoradinae are extremely peaceful fish that are compatible with many other freshwater species. We recommend keeping species based on their tankmate sizes and behavior. For instance, we do not recommend keeping pygmy species with Angelfish, since Angelfish are prone to eating very small fish and shrimp.
Here are some of our best Corydoras Tank Mate Choices:
1) Bettas
2) Neon Tetra
4) Amano Shrimp
6) Discus
10) Platies
Conclusions:
Thank you for reading this article on Corydoras sp. If you have any questions, please contact us at our email address: scholarlyexotics@gmail.com; we will respond back as soon as possible!
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