Long nosed arched cory
Corydoras narcissus
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 73–77°F
- 23–25°C
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Adult size
- 2.8 in
- 7 cm
- Minimum tank
- 30 gal
- 115 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Shoaling
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Very rare
- Family
- Callichthyidae
- Origin
- Brazil
Overview
The long nosed arched cory is a peaceful, larger shoaling cory that should be kept in a group of at least six. It works the sandy bottom with a long snout, probing deep for food, and mixes well with calm, medium sized community fish. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and other meaty foods, and the odd wafer, making sure enough reaches the floor. Its size and need for company call for a tank of around 115 liters or larger with soft sand.
In the wild
Corydoras narcissus comes from the Rio Purus in the Brazilian Amazon, living over sand in warm, soft, slightly acidic water. Provide a soft sand bed so its long snout and barbels stay healthy, along with driftwood, leaf litter, and shaded planting. Keep the temperature between 23 and 25 C and the pH from about 6.0 to 7.5, with clean, gently filtered water and regular changes.
Good to know
This armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae reaches about 7 cm and is one of the long snouted cories, with an elongated, slightly arched head. The extended snout lets it push deeper into sand than short nosed cories when searching for food. Two rows of bony plates armor each flank. Reliable aquarium spawning is not well documented, though the group lays sticky eggs onto firm surfaces after a brief pairing.
Did you know
Long snouted cories like this one use their extended, slightly down curved snouts as probes, digging further into the sand for buried food than their blunt nosed relatives can reach.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Long nosed arched 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.
Duboulayi's rainbowfish
Melanotaenia duboulayi
Freshwater4.7 in (12 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)
Marbled hatchetfish
Carnegiella strigata
Freshwater1.6 in (4 cm) · 32 gal (120 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)
Upside-down catfish
Synodontis nigriventris
Freshwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Pearl gourami
Trichopodus leerii
Freshwater4.7 in (12 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)75–86°F (24–30°C)
Blackwing hatchetfish
Carnegiella marthae
Freshwater1.4 in (3.5 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)
Marbled talking catfish
Amblydoras nauticus
Freshwater4.3 in (11 cm) · 30 gal (112 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a Long nosed arched cory need?
A Long nosed arched cory needs at least 30 gal (115 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a Long nosed arched cory need?
A Long nosed arched cory is comfortable at 73–77°F (23–25°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.
How big does a Long nosed arched cory get?
An adult Long nosed arched cory reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).
Does a Long nosed arched cory need a group?
Yes. A Long nosed arched cory is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.
Related species
2.8 in (7 cm)26 gal (100 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Fowler's cory
Corydoras fowleri
2.8 in (7 cm) · 26 gal (100 L)
2.8 in (7 cm)22 gal (85 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Pastaza cory
Corydoras pastazensis
2.8 in (7 cm) · 22 gal (85 L)
3 in (7.5 cm)26 gal (100 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Geoffroy's cory
Corydoras geoffroy
3 in (7.5 cm) · 26 gal (100 L)
2.6 in (6.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Fuller's cory
Corydoras fulleri
2.6 in (6.5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
2.6 in (6.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Ourastigma cory
Corydoras ourastigma
2.6 in (6.5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
2.6 in (6.5 cm)24 gal (90 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Peru black cory
Corydoras semiaquilus
2.6 in (6.5 cm) · 24 gal (90 L)