Ellis's cory

Corydoras ellisae

Also known as Ellisae cory

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Shoaling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Paraguay basin, Paraguay and Bolivia
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

Ellis's cory is a peaceful, sociable catfish that must be kept in a shoal, so buy at least six and ideally more, since a lone cory hides and pines. It works the bottom of the tank in a busy group, sorting through fine sand with its barbels for bits of food, and it comes from cooler rivers, so it suits an unheated or lightly heated tank in a warm room rather than a hot tropical one. It is completely harmless and mixes well with other small, calm community fish. Give it a soft sand floor to protect its barbels, some wood and planting for cover, and a tank of around 75 liters. Feed sinking pellets, crushed wafers, and frozen foods like bloodworm, dropping in enough that some settles on the floor where it feeds.

In the wild

Ellis's cory comes from the Paraguay river basin in Paraguay and Bolivia, living over sand and fine sediment in shallow, slow stretches that cool down through the winter. Keep it on the cooler side, from about 22 to 26 C, at a near-neutral pH between roughly 6.5 and 7.5. A soft sand bed is important so it can dig and feed without wearing down its barbels, and gentle filtration, some driftwood, and shady planted areas complete a setup that keeps a shy shoaling fish comfortable and out in the open where it can be seen.

Good to know

Corydoras ellisae is a small armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae, reaching around 5 centimeters, with fine dark speckling over a pale, long-snouted body. It is a subtropical relative of the familiar peppered cory. The 2024 revision of the group split the old genus Corydoras into several genera, though most shops still sell these fish under the Corydoras name. Breeding is of moderate difficulty: pairs spawn in the classic cory way, the female carrying eggs in a basket formed by her pelvic fins before sticking them to a clean surface.

Did you know

Corydoras catfish spawn in an unusual T-shaped embrace, and the female carries her eggs in a little basket made by her pelvic fins before pressing them onto plants and glass a few at a time.