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: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Brazil
Family: Callichthyidae

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.