Tailspot Cory

Corydoras caudimaculatus

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–81°F (20–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Common
Origin: Bolivia, Brazil
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

Keep it in a school of six or more on the bottom of a tank around 75 liters or larger; it gets nervous and inactive in small numbers. Water should be soft to neutral, pH 6 to 7.5, at 20 to 27 C. Feed sinking pellets, frozen foods like bloodworms and daphnia, and the occasional algae wafer. It is fully peaceful and a solid choice for a calm community tank.

In the wild

The tailspot cory comes from the upper Amazon drainage in Bolivia and Brazil, living over soft, sandy bottoms in warm, slow streams. It spends its time sifting the substrate for bits of food. Set up a fine sand bottom so it can dig without wearing down its barbels, and add wood, plants, or leaf litter for shade and cover. Keep the water on the warm side, roughly 20 to 27 C.

Good to know

This is a small armored catfish in the family Callichthyidae, reaching about 5 cm, which makes it one of the smaller corys. Its body is covered in overlapping bony plates and it carries fine speckling with the dark tail-base mark that gives it its name. It is an egg-layer, but it is on the harder side to breed at home compared with other corys.

Did you know

Like other corys it has the odd habit of dashing to the surface to gulp a mouthful of air, which it absorbs through its gut. This is normal behavior, not a sign of bad water, though if the whole group is doing it constantly it's worth checking your oxygen and surface flow.