Peppered Corydoras
Corydoras paleatus
Callichthyidae
About
The peppered corydoras is a hardy armored catfish from the cool, slow-flowing streams and floodplains of southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina, named for the dark mottled speckling scattered across its pale body. Unusually among corydoras it comes from a subtropical range, so it prefers noticeably cooler water than most tropical community fish and is one of the few catfish that thrives in an unheated tank. Peaceful and endlessly busy, it patrols the bottom on sensitive barbels and is far more confident kept in a shoal.
Care
Keep a shoal of 6 or more over soft, clean sand in cooler, well-oxygenated water with gentle flow. Very forgiving and beginner-friendly, but sharp gravel and dirty substrate will damage its barbels.
Diet
Omnivorous scavenger that forages the substrate; offer sinking wafers and micro-pellets plus frozen or live daphnia, brine shrimp and bloodworm, making sure food reaches the bottom.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (12)
Possible with care (84)
Avoid (13)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.