Dirty Bandit Cory

Corydoras loxozonus

Also known as Loxozonus cory

FreshwaterFish

Dirty Bandit Cory (Corydoras loxozonus) — Soulkeeper · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 70–75°F (21–24°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 16 gal (60 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Colombia
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

Keep the dirty bandit cory in a shoal of at least six, as it is a peaceful, social bottom fish that frets on its own. It cruises the sand in a group, probing for food with its barbels, and suits a calm community of small tetras, rasboras, or dwarf cichlids that leave the floor alone. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, and a little wafer, checking that enough drops to the bottom. A group is comfortable in a tank of around 60 liters or larger.

In the wild

Corydoras loxozonus lives in the Meta River basin of Colombia, in shallow, gently flowing water over sand. Recreate that with a soft sand bed, driftwood, and some leaf litter, plus areas of shade. Keep the water soft and slightly acidic, pH about 6.0 to 7.5, at a moderate 21 to 24 C. Clean, well filtered water with gentle current keeps it in good health.

Good to know

This armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae reaches about 5 cm. Its name loxozonus comes from the Greek for oblique band, after the slanted dark stripe that runs down across the rear of the body. A dark bar also crosses the eye, and small spots freckle the flanks. It has been bred in aquaria but is thought of as difficult, needing soft, cool, clean water and well conditioned adults to spawn.

Did you know

The common name dirty bandit fits a fish that mixes several patterns at once: the eye mask of a bandit cory, a slanted body bar, and a dusting of julii like spots. Its scientific name loxozonus means slanted band, for that diagonal stripe.