Pastaza cory

Corydoras pastazensis

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.8 in (7 cm)
Minimum tank: 22 gal (85 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Ecuador, Peru
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

The Pastaza cory is a peaceful, larger shoaler that should be kept in a group of at least six. It grazes the sandy bottom with its barbels and mixes well with calm, medium sized community fish that leave the floor clear. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and other meaty foods, and a little wafer, making sure the food reaches the substrate. Its size and social needs call for a tank of around 85 liters or larger with open sand to forage over.

In the wild

Corydoras pastazensis comes from the Rio Pastaza and neighboring upper Amazon drainages of Ecuador and Peru, over sand in warm, soft, gently flowing water. Give it a soft sand bed, driftwood, and shaded planting, with clean, well filtered water and open foraging areas. It suits a warm range of about 22 to 28 C and a pH from 6.0 to 7.5, with regular maintenance.

Good to know

This armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae reaches about 7 cm and takes its name from the Rio Pastaza, its home river. It carries a dark shoulder patch and eye band over a pale body, in the style of several upper Amazon cories. Two rows of bony scutes armor each flank. Reliable aquarium spawning is not well documented, though the group lays adhesive eggs onto firm surfaces after a brief pairing.

Did you know

Like a number of cories, this one is named straight after the river where it was found: the Rio Pastaza, a fast Andean fed tributary that flows from Ecuador into the Peruvian Amazon.