TankBud

Guapore cory

Gastrodermus guapore

Also known as Corydoras guapore

FreshwaterFish

Guapore cory (Gastrodermus guapore)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
16 gal
60 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Callichthyidae
Origin
Bolivia, Brazil

Overview

The Guapore cory is a peaceful, hardy shoaler that needs a group of at least six to behave naturally. Unlike most cories, it does not stay glued to the floor: it feeds along the bottom but spends a lot of time hovering and swimming up in the water column, so it enjoys open space as well as a sandy foraging area. Keep it with small, calm community fish. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, and wafers, making sure enough reaches the substrate. A lively group is comfortable in a tank of around 60 liters or larger.

In the wild

Corydoras guapore is native to the Rio Guapore basin along the Bolivia and Brazil border, in warm, soft, clear flowing water over sand. Provide a soft sand bed, driftwood, and shaded planting, with clean, well oxygenated water and gentle current. It suits a warm range of about 22 to 28 C and a pH from 6.0 to 7.5. Give it open water as well as floor space.

Good to know

This armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae reaches about 5 cm and takes its name from the Rio Guapore, its home river. It is unusual in its subfamily for behaving as a midwater species rather than a strict bottom dweller. Regular aquarium spawning is not widely recorded, though the group lays sticky eggs the female holds briefly between her pelvic fins before attaching them.

Did you know

Most cories are committed bottom huggers, but the Guapore cory breaks the mold: it naturally forms loose aggregations that hover and swim well up in open water, and it was even formally redescribed as a midwater member of the group.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

Guapore 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 Guapore cory need?

A Guapore cory needs at least 16 gal (60 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Guapore cory need?

A Guapore cory is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

How big does a Guapore cory get?

An adult Guapore cory reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

Does a Guapore cory need a group?

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

Related species