Corydoras, Those Wonderful Bottom Dwellers

By Justin Warnock

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In this article I will be giving some basic info and care tips for keeping Corydoras healthy and happy. So let's get into some info on them. I will start with their origin which is South America, mainly from the Amazon and it's drainage rivers and streams. There is currently 155 species that are described now with more and more being studied everyday. The remainer are being labeled as " C numbers " like the infamous " L numbers " used for plecos.There are well over 200 species of Corydorus alone not including the other members of the family Callichthyidae, which include Aspidorus, Brochis, Callichthys, Corydoras, Dianema, Hoplosternum, Lepthoplosterum, and Megalechis. The sizes of Corydoras range from 1 inch to 4 inches and all different shapes as well from long and skinny to short and stubby. The variety of patterns and colors is unreal as there are some that without a trained eye would look exactly like a completely different species, example of this would be the C. Julii and the C. Trilineatus as 99% of the Julii Cory cats sold by fish stores are actually Trilineatus but the only real difference between the two the pattern on the head and upper body. The Julii have small spots were as that Trilineatus have more of a " worm " line pattern on the head and upper body. Corydoras can tolerate a wide range of water values pH ranging from 6.5-7.5 with them being able to tolerate higher and lower but are best kept in this range for optimal health and happiness with soft hardness levels. Tempature range for most species is from 72-78 f with some species requiring lower tempatures.

Well onto care and tips to healthy happy Cories. First off one common problem people run into with these fish is the wrong substrate. Cories have barrels on the bottom of their mouths that they use to sence food that can become damaged easily given that the substrate is sharp and jagged. This kind of substrate will soon make the barrels erode as Cories are always sifting through the subrate searching for food and the sharp edges don't do any favors to the delicate barrels. Another theory of why the barrels erode even when they are in a tank with the " right " substrate is due to excessive nitrate levels in the tank. Large gravel is not reccomended as a suitable choice either, Cories are not designed to have to move heavy " rocks " and are designed to sift through sand and small gravel as most have rounded blunt heads. The best substrate for Cories is silica sand. When you watch a Cory sift through some sand in search for a black worm you will see them at their best and natural feeding habits. Another common mistake people make with Cories is that they expect them to be their " cleaning crew " and figure that they are getting enough food and do not suppliment their diet with food. I have heard many people claim " they clean up the other fish's waste " this could not be further from the truth ! They are not deterius eaters they are savengers but should be treated as any other fish and feed quality food just like any other fish you care about. Some of the best foods are sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, frozen mysis shrimp, and other meaty foods. Their absolute favorite food by far has to be live blackworms, they go nuts when they pick up the scent of the worms searching high and low till they find them. They like to have somewhere to hide so having some plants and/or some caves in the tank will be a benefit for the fish. They also do better in small groups 3-4 fish is the minium number of fish in a tank as they are more social fish when kept in groups and will help keep the fish healthy as they tend to get stressed when kept alone or in only a pair. One last thing to add is that Cories do not like salt they are very sensitive to it. Now some people swear that they have used salt to medicate them with success for years and others claim that any amount of salt will stress the fish. I personally find that there is enough medications available to avoid using salt as I am not willing to risk it with my fish. Breeding the fish is somewhat easy with some species being very difficult as many species have thus far have never been bred in captivity.

So with this basic information you should be able have happy Corydoras, but please do futher research if you want more than just the basics. I reccomend these fish as great addition to a community tank and would never be without some in my tanks. There are tons of websites with great profiles and information on Corydoras. Get some and discover " Those wonderful bottom dwellers. "