Description
Corydoras paleatus is commonly known as the 'pepper corydoras', and you can see why when you see the black spots peppered irregularly upon its shimmery green body. The problem with the moniker of “peppered corydoras” is that it gets confused with another different species, namely Corydoras habrosus, which stays much smaller, yet is known also as the “peppered” or “salt and pepper” cory. This fish, the paleatus corydoras, gets to be about 2½ inches in males, and around 3 inches or so for larger females. This fish originally comes from a large range in South America, but our specimens are tank bred in Europe, and are a unique variant of the fish and have fins at least twice as long as their standard cousins! Their dorsal fins in particular look spectacular when splayed out, and they look like little dragonflies buzzing around the bottom of the aquarium.
In the wild these fish would be used to fairly acidic water which has little to no hardness, being that they are mostly found inland in slow moving tributaries on the river. However, having been selectively bred for so many generations to achieve the long fin variance, these specimens are much less particular about that, and can thrive in water that is slightly alkaline, and even with hardness up to 300ppm or so! These fish typically spend their time at the bottom of your aquarium, and as such they appreciate some cover in the form of caves or decorations, as well as plants so that the little catfish can hide and forage, which will contribute to their comfort and their willingness to be out and about.
These corydoras are boisterous and gregarious, and as such they are a great choice for a community aquarium, where they can pick off any morsels that make it past your other fish in the aquarium. Do keep in mind that these fish are long fin, and that makes them a bit slow when swimming, so do not keep them with anything aggressive that might take chunks off of the fins, and especially nothing of the size to make a meal out of them! As long as those two easy requirements are met, these fish are almost bulletproof in your tank, and will provide you joy for years to come! These fish are one of the fish that are popular amongst beginners, but beginners and advanced hobbyists alike will really love these fish that are just a little bit different! These fish ship individually bagged.
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