Orces's cory

Corydoras orcesi

Also known as Bonita cory, Corydoras pastazensis orcesi

FreshwaterFish

Orces's cory (Corydoras orcesi) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 5.8–7.2
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Shoaling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Rio Tigre system, Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

A shoal of six wants 75 liters with deep sand for its snout. Feeding is standard cory fare: sinking granules and frozen foods. Ecuadorian exports are few, so the fish is a rarity with no established breeding record. If you keep both this and the pastaza cory, house them separately to avoid mixed shoals of the two look-alikes.

In the wild

Orces's cory lives in the Rio Tigre system of lowland Ecuador, over sand in slow forest waters. It is a long-snouted forager that roots deep into soft bottoms. Keep it on a generous bed of fine sand with wood and litter at 23 to 27 degrees Celsius and pH 5.8 to 7.2.

Good to know

Weitzman and Nijssen described this fish in 1970 as a subspecies of Corydoras pastazensis, honoring the Ecuadorian zoologist Gustavo Orces. Most modern lists treat it as a full species, though not every authority agrees, and it is told from pastazensis by its cleaner body and differently cut mask. It reaches about 6 centimeters.

Did you know

It started scientific life as a footnote to the pastaza cory, a subspecies that later earned its own name, and careful keepers still get the two confused.