Banded cory

Care at a glance

Overview

The banded cory is a big, heavy bodied catfish for the group, so give it room and keep it in a shoal of six or more that stays near the bottom. Adult males can squabble and posture with each other, though they are not a threat to other fish, so it mixes well with peaceful, similarly cool loving tankmates. It grubs through open sand for food and takes sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, and the occasional wafer. Cooler water suits it best. Plan on a tank of around 150 liters or larger for a proper group.

In the wild

Scleromystax barbatus lives in cool, fast, well oxygenated coastal streams of southeastern Brazil, between Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina. It wants clean, brisk water rather than the warm, still tank many cories tolerate. Provide a sand or fine gravel bed, smooth rocks, and driftwood, with strong filtration and steady current. Aim for pH 6.5 to 7.8 and a cool 19 to 24 C, dropping toward the low end in summer if you can.

Good to know

This is one of the largest members of the armored catfish subfamily Corydoradinae, reaching around 10 cm. It sits in Scleromystax, a genus split off from Corydoras for a handful of robust, sexually distinct southern species. Mature males grow bristly odontodes across the cheeks and snout, and the sexes differ sharply in color and finnage. It has been bred in aquaria but is considered challenging, needing cool water and conditioning to trigger spawning.

Did you know

Mature males earn the name bearded cory: they sprout rows of golden, bristle like odontodes along the cheeks that give them a lion like look unlike any other small catfish. Females and young stay comparatively plain, which makes a breeding group easy to sex.

Related species

• Sailfin cory

  Scleromystax macropterus

  3.5 in (9 cm)44 gal (165 L)64–70°F (18–21°C)
• Prionotos cory

  Scleromystax prionotos

  2.4 in (6 cm)29 gal (110 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)

• 

  Bar-tailed hoplo

  Megalechis picta

  5.9 in (15 cm)53 gal (200 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Porthole catfish

  Dianema longibarbis

  3.9 in (10 cm)26 gal (100 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Hognosed brochis

  Brochis multiradiatus

  3.5 in (9 cm)40 gal (150 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)
• Giant Brochis

  Brochis britskii

  3.5 in (9 cm)40 gal (150 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)