Ehrhardt's cory

Corydoras ehrhardti

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 66–77°F (19–25°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: Easy
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Brazil
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

Ehrhardt's cory is a hardy, peaceful shoaler that does best in a group of six or more spread across the bottom. It sifts sand for food throughout the day and mixes easily with small, calm community fish, tolerating a wider temperature range than many cories. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, and algae wafers, making sure the food reaches the substrate. Its adaptability makes it a forgiving choice, and a group settles well in a tank of around 60 liters or larger.

In the wild

Corydoras ehrhardti comes from cooler coastal river systems of southeastern Brazil, around Santa Catarina, over sand and among wood and leaves. It handles cooler water than most tropical cories, from about 19 to 25 C, so it fits an unheated or lightly heated room tank. Provide a soft sand bed, driftwood, and shaded planting, with pH around 6.0 to 7.5 and clean, gently moving water.

Good to know

This armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae grows to about 5 cm and wears a dark shoulder patch and eye band over a pale, faintly spotted body. It is one of the more temperature tolerant cories, which helps explain its reputation as an easy, robust aquarium fish. It has been spawned in captivity but is rated challenging, doing best when a cool water change is used to trigger a group into breeding.

Did you know

Unlike the many warmth loving cories of the Amazon lowlands, Ehrhardt's cory hails from cooler coastal streams in southern Brazil, so it stays healthy at room temperatures that would be too chilly for its tropical cousins.