Broad Stripe Cory
Hoplisoma duplicareum
Callichthyidae
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About
The broad stripe cory is the fish most often sold as Corydoras adolfoi, and the resemblance is not the shop's fault: both are cream-bodied, both carry a black bandit mask through the eye, an orange blaze on the nape and a dark oblique bar running along the back. Seriously Fish gives the working rule and then takes most of it away again — the dark body bar 'tends to be less broad in C. adolfoi, and the orange patch of pigment on the nape less intense than in C. duplicareus, but these characters cannot be used to separate the species reliably'. The one hard character is invisible in a shop: this species 'does possess serrations on the posterior edge of the pectoral-fin spine which are lacking in C. adolfoi, but these are almost impossible to see with the naked eye'. Size is the practical tiebreak. Seriously Fish gives 40–50 mm standard length here against 55–60 mm for adolfoi, so in a mixed tank the broad stripe cory is the visibly smaller fish and adolfoi the longer one. Both come from the same blackwater corner of the upper rio Negro and want exactly the same water, so a mixed group costs neither fish anything; what it costs is certainty, because once the two are in one tank nobody can say afterwards which species laid the eggs. On the label: the 2024 Corydoradinae revision moved this fish into the resurrected genus Hoplisoma, and FishBase, Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and Corydoras World now all write Hoplisoma duplicareum. Every shop still writes Corydoras duplicareus, and will for years.
Care
Six minimum, and AquaInfo's 'at least 8' is the better number — a pair hides and stops eating. Fine sand is not decoration: Seriously Fish allows rounded gravel 'provided it's kept scrupulously clean', but sharp grains grind the barbels down and an infected stump cannot find food. 60 cm of floor, gentle flow, a lid (they dash to the surface to gulp air), and soft, tannin-stained water at 23–25 °C. Seriously Fish gives pH 4.0–7.0 and 18–90 ppm hardness, FishBase the wider pH 6.0–8.0 and 2–25 dH; ordinary soft tap water is fine to keep them in, but AquaInfo warns that eggs 'often are not fertilized properly or simply do not develop' in hard water, so breeding needs the soft acid end. Peaceful company only — small characins, rasboras, hatchetfish, dwarf cichlids.
Diet
Omnivorous bottom forager. Sinking pellets, granules and wafers plus frozen or live bloodworm, Tubifex, daphnia and blackworm. Feed the sand deliberately, ideally just before lights out, and siphon it afterwards.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (207)
Possible with care (145)
Avoid (66)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
What works for this species, most reliable first.
- Width from aboveStrong · from about 8 months, once they are adult-sized
Corydoras are sexed from directly above, never from the side. Look down at the group while they rest on the sand.
- Bristles and cheek spinesA hint only · from about a year
Male plecos grow odontodes — spiny growths on the cheeks and along the leading pectoral rays. Bristlenose males additionally grow branching tentacles across the snout and over the top of the head.
Also in these lists
Similar species
Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.
Health
Disease guide entries relevant to this species — worth a read before you reach for medicine.
The full disease guide →Sold in Lithuania
These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.
These links are unpaid: we get nothing for them and ask for nothing.
Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Broad Stripe Cory need?
- A Broad Stripe Cory needs an aquarium of at least 60 litres (15.9 US gallons) with a footprint at least 60 cm (23.6 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Broad Stripe Cory need?
- Broad Stripe Cory does best at 20–26 °C (68–78.8 °F), pH 4–7.5 and a general hardness of 1–10 °dGH.
- What group size does a Broad Stripe Cory need?
- Broad Stripe Cory is a social species — keep a group of at least 6 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.
- Is the Broad Stripe Cory suitable for beginners?
- Broad Stripe Cory sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.