Reticulated cory

Corydoras reticulatus

Also known as Network cory

FreshwaterFish

Reticulated cory (Corydoras reticulatus) — karsten_s · CC BY 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 6.0–7.2
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Common
Origin: Lower Amazon River basin, Brazil (South America)
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

Keep them in a group of at least six, more if you have room, in a tank of 75 liters or larger. They are peaceful bottom dwellers that spend the day foraging across the sand, and singles or pairs get stressed and withdrawn. Run the water warm, 22 to 26 C, soft to moderately hard, with a pH between 6 and 7.2, and keep some flow and surface movement since they like it well oxygenated. The one thing they will not tolerate is a dirty bottom, which erodes their barbels and invites infection, so vacuum the substrate often. They make a good beginner community fish alongside small, gentle tankmates.

In the wild

Reticulated cories come from the lower Amazon basin in Brazil, where they work the bottom of warm, slow rivers and tributaries. The key to keeping them is the substrate. Give them soft, fine sand so they can sift mouthfuls of it without wearing down their barbels, and skip sharp gravel and undergravel filters. Plant the tank, add some driftwood and leaf litter if you want the tannin-stained look they appreciate, and keep the water warm at 22 to 26 C with a pH from 6 to 7.2.

Good to know

This is a member of the armored catfish family Callichthyidae, named for the netlike pattern across its body. Adults reach about 6 cm. Like other Corydoras it sifts the substrate with sensitive barbels and gulps air at the surface to breathe through its gut, so a clear path to the top matters. Captive breeding is not documented for this species, though it likely follows the cooler water change trigger used for its relatives.

Did you know

The barbels around the mouth are not just for show. They are packed with taste and touch sensors that let the fish read the sand for food it cannot see, which is why a clean, soft bottom matters so much. Let the substrate go foul and those barbels wear away, and the fish loses the tool it relies on to feed.