Spotted cory

Corydoras ambiacus

Also known as longnose cory

FreshwaterFish

Spotted cory (Corydoras ambiacus) — Soltpret · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 70–81°F (21–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.6 in (6.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Peru
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

This spotted cory is a peaceful shoaling catfish that should be kept in a group of at least six. It forages over the sandy bottom with its barbels and mixes well with small, calm community fish. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, and a little wafer, always checking that food reaches the floor where it can find it. A group is comfortable in a tank of around 75 liters or larger with soft sand and open foraging space.

In the wild

Corydoras ambiacus comes from the Rio Ambyiacu and neighboring upper Amazon in Peru, over sand in warm, soft, slightly acidic water. Provide a soft sand bed, driftwood, dried leaves, and shaded planting, with clean, gently filtered water. Keep the temperature between 21 and 27 C and the pH from about 6.0 to 7.5, with regular water changes to keep this cory in good condition.

Good to know

This armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae reaches about 6.5 cm and is covered in many small dark spots over a silvery body, with a dark blotch in the dorsal fin. It takes its name from the Rio Ambyiacu in Peru. It is hard to tell from several other spotted cories, especially Corydoras agassizii. Reliable aquarium spawning is not well documented for this species.

Did you know

This is one of several near identical spotted cories from the western Amazon. It is easiest to confuse with Corydoras agassizii, but ambiacus tends to wear many small, evenly scattered spots rather than the larger, row like marks of its look alike.