Sterba's cory

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep it in a school of six or more on the bottom of a tank around 75 liters or larger. Water should be soft to neutral, pH 6 to 7.5, and on the warmer side, 24 to 28 C, which suits it better than cooler corys. Feed sinking pellets, frozen foods, and the occasional algae wafer. It is completely peaceful and a good fit for warm-water community tanks.

In the wild

Sterba's cory comes from the Guapore river basin on the Bolivia and Brazil border. It lives over soft sand and silt in warm, slow tributaries, picking through the bottom for food. Set up a tank with a fine sand substrate so it can sift without scratching its barbels, plus shade from plants or wood. It likes things warm, mid to high 20s C.

Good to know

This is a small armored catfish in the family Callichthyidae, reaching about 6.5 cm as an adult. Like other Corydoras it has bony plates and stiff fin spines. It is an egg-layer that spawns in the classic cory T-position, with the female carrying eggs in her pelvic fins before sticking them to surfaces. With good care it can live well past five years.

Did you know

Sterba's cory is one of the few corys that genuinely prefers tropical heat, which is why it pairs so well with discus and other warm-water fish that most corys can't handle long term. The spotted pattern on its head and the orange in its pectoral fins make it easy to tell apart from look-alike species.

Related species

• 

  Black band cory

  Corydoras zygatus

  2.6 in (6.5 cm)21 gal (80 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Imitator cory

  Corydoras imitator

  2.6 in (6.5 cm)21 gal (80 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Peru black cory

  Corydoras semiaquilus

  2.6 in (6.5 cm)24 gal (90 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Spotted cory

  Corydoras ambiacus

  2.6 in (6.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)70–81°F (21–27°C)
• Bannertail cory

  Corydoras robineae

  2.6 in (6.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–79°F (23–26°C)
• Pretty cory

  Corydoras pulcher

  2.6 in (6.5 cm)24 gal (90 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)