Venezuelan orange cory

Osteogaster aenea

Also known as Corydoras venezuelanus, Venezuelan cory, Orange Venezuelan cory, Red Sailfin Cory

FreshwaterFish

Venezuelan orange cory (Osteogaster aenea) — Andrew Keller · CC0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F; 20–26°C
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 2.4 in; 6 cm
Minimum tank: 20 gal; 75 L

Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Shoaling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Very common
Family: Callichthyidae
Origin: Northern Venezuela in the Lake Valencia basin and nearby Orinoco tributaries, outside the Amazon.

Overview

Keep them in a group of six or more on soft sand with open space to forage. They tolerate a wide range but do well from 20 to 26 C in soft to moderately hard water. Almost all stock is tank bred and takes sinking pellets, frozen and live foods readily.

In the wild

The Venezuelan orange cory comes from streams and rivers of northern Venezuela rather than the Amazon, including the Lake Valencia system. These waters tend to run a little harder and cooler than typical rainforest tributaries. The fish forage over sand and fine gravel in loose groups.

Good to know

This is the naturally orange member of the bronze cory complex and is closely tied to the common bronze cory. The 2024 revision placed it in the genus Osteogaster, where it currently sits as a species of uncertain placement, so it may be listed as Osteogaster venezuelana. It is one of the few cories native to waters outside the Amazon basin.

Did you know

Nearly all Venezuelan orange cories in shops are commercially bred, and their solid orange color deepens as they mature.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

Venezuelan orange cory is a peaceful, shoaling species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator