Julii cory

Corydoras julii

Also known as leopard cory

FreshwaterFish

Julii cory (Corydoras julii) — Merlin Senger at de.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.2 in (5.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Brazil
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

The julii cory is a peaceful, spotted shoaler that should be kept in a group of at least six. It forages across the sandy bottom with its barbels and mixes well with small, calm community fish that leave the floor clear at feeding time. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, and a little wafer, checking that the food settles where it can reach it. A group is comfortable in a tank of around 75 liters or larger with soft sand to sift.

In the wild

The true Corydoras julii comes from clear coastal rivers of northeastern Brazil, living over sand in warm, soft, slightly acidic water. Give it a soft sand bed, driftwood, dried leaves, and shaded planting, with clean, gently filtered water. Keep the temperature between 20 and 26 C and the pH from about 6.0 to 7.5. Regular water changes keep this delicate cory in good condition.

Good to know

This armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae reaches about 5.5 cm and wears a pattern of small, separate dark spots that do not join into lines on the head. It has been bred in aquaria but is rated difficult. True C. julii is rarely imported, and most fish sold under the name are actually a look alike, the three line cory Corydoras trilineatus.

Did you know

Almost every fish sold as a julii cory is really the three line cory, Corydoras trilineatus. The true julii wears fine, separate leopard spots on the head, while trilineatus shows those marks joined into maze like lines.