Punctatus cory

Corydoras punctatus

Also known as Suriname spotted cory

FreshwaterFish

Punctatus cory (Corydoras punctatus) — (c) Karsten Schönherr, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa

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: 16 gal (60 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Shoaling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Common
Origin: Suriname River basin in Suriname and Iracoubo basin in French Guiana
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

Keep six over sand in 60 liters with brisk clean water. Feeding is standard sinking-and-frozen fare. Real punctatus reaches the trade only through infrequent Suriname exports, so confirm provenance before believing a label. Breeding reports for the true species are scarce.

In the wild

The true punctatus cory lives in the Suriname and Iracoubo river systems of the Guianas, over sand in clear forest creeks. Like other Guiana Shield corys it wants clean, flowing, oxygen-rich water: 23 to 27 degrees Celsius, pH 5.8 to 7.2, over fine sand with stones and wood.

Good to know

Bloch described Corydoras punctatus in 1794, making it one of the oldest names in the genus, and for two centuries much of the hobby applied it to the wrong fish: the common spotted corys of Peru sold as punctatus are usually other species. The genuine article is a Suriname endemic of about 6 centimeters with a dotted body and dorsal-fin flag.

Did you know

Odds are most fish ever sold as this species were something else; the real punctatus is a Suriname rarity wearing one of the genus's oldest names, coined in 1794.