Horseman cory

Corydoras eques

Also known as Osteogaster eques, Red-top cory, Horseman's cory

FreshwaterFish

Horseman cory (Corydoras eques) — Memelukas · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°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: Rare
Origin: Central Amazon along the rio Solimoes in Brazil.
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

Keep the horseman cory in a group of six or more over soft sand at 22 to 26 C in soft, acidic water. It is peaceful and best kept with calm tankmates. Feed a mix of sinking pellets and small frozen foods such as bloodworm and daphnia.

In the wild

The horseman cory comes from the central Amazon, where it forages over sand in warm, soft, slightly acidic water. It occurs in slow margins and side channels among leaf litter and wood. The fish gather in groups over open sand between patches of cover.

Good to know

This species is the type of the resurrected genus Osteogaster, so the whole revived genus that now holds the rust and bronze cory relatives is named after it. It carries a strong green gold sheen over the head and shoulders with a coppery orange ridge along the back, which earns it the name red top cory. Most stock is wild caught, as it is not commonly bred.