TankBud

Blue cory

Hoplisoma nattereri

Also known as Corydoras nattereri

FreshwaterFish

Blue cory (Hoplisoma nattereri)
Carsten Müller · Copyrighted free use

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–73°F
20–23°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
2.6 in
6.5 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Callichthyidae
Origin
Brazil

Overview

The blue cory is a peaceful, active catfish that shoals along the bottom of a cool community tank. It is best with a little experience.

Did you know

The blue cory gets its name from the soft metallic blue sheen across its body, with green highlights brightest around the gill covers. It honors Johann Natterer, an Austrian explorer whose long expedition through Brazil turned up many of the region's fishes.

Caring for the blue cory

Keep blue cories in a group of at least six to see them look and behave their best. Give a group 20 gal (75 L) or larger, with a soft sand bed, driftwood and shaded planting.

Blue cories prefer water on the cooler side, at 68 to 73°F (20 to 23°C), so avoid a hot tank. Keep the pH at 6.0 to 7.5, and the water clean, well oxygenated and gently moving. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, and the odd algae wafer. Make sure the food gets past faster midwater fish.

They patrol the bottom in a loose pack, sifting the sand for food. They are peaceful and mix with small, gentle community fish that favor similar cooler water. Blue cories have been spawned in aquariums, but breeding them is tricky. Cool, clean water and live foods bring the adults into condition.

Good to know

The blue cory is an armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae, listed as Hoplisoma nattereri and also known as Corydoras nattereri. Natterer collected the first specimens in Brazil.

In the wild

Blue cories live in cooler coastal rivers of southeastern Brazil, from Espirito Santo to Parana. They stay over sand and among roots and leaves.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The blue cory is a peaceful, shoaling species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a blue cory need?

A blue cory needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a blue cory need?

A blue cory is comfortable at 68–73°F (20–23°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a blue cory eat?

A blue cory eats sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, with the odd algae wafer. Make sure its food reaches the bottom before faster fish take it.

How big does a blue cory get?

An adult blue cory reaches about 2.6 in (6.5 cm).

Does a blue cory need a group?

Yes. A blue cory is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a blue cory breed?

Blue cories have been spawned in aquariums, but breeding them is hard. The adults come into condition best with cool, clean water and live foods.

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