TankBud

Xingu cory

Hoplisoma xinguense

Also known as Corydoras xinguensis

FreshwaterFish

Xingu cory (Hoplisoma xinguense)
Gabriel Santos · CC BY 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
18 gal
70 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Callichthyidae
Origin
Brazil

Overview

The Xingu cory is a peaceful, hardy cory that shoals over the sandy bottom of a community tank. It is undemanding and a good first cory.

Did you know

The Xingu cory is named for the Rio Xingu, a large clearwater tributary of the Amazon in Brazil. Aquarists know the river as the home of many prized fishes, from plecos to this little spotted cory.

Caring for the Xingu cory

Keep Xingu cories in a group of at least six, in 18 gal (70 L) or larger. Give them a soft sand bed with driftwood, dried leaves and shaded planting. They forage over the sand with their barbels.

Keep the water clean and gently filtered, at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Do regular water changes to keep it clear. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, and a little algae wafer, and check that the food reaches the floor.

Xingu cories mix easily with small, calm community fish. Reliable aquarium spawning is not widely documented. Cories of this group lay sticky eggs, and the female positions them with her clasped pelvic fins.

Good to know

The Xingu cory is an armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae, also listed as Corydoras xinguensis. It carries fine dark spots over a pale body, in the style of many Amazon cories. Two rows of bony scutes armor each flank.

In the wild

The Xingu cory comes from the Rio Xingu in the Brazilian Amazon. It lives over sand in warm, soft, clear, flowing water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Xingu 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

Common questions

What size tank does a Xingu cory need?

A Xingu cory needs at least 18 gal (70 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Xingu cory need?

A Xingu cory is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a Xingu cory eat?

A Xingu cory eats sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, and a little algae wafer. Make sure the food reaches the floor.

How big does a Xingu cory get?

An adult Xingu cory reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

Does a Xingu cory need a group?

Yes. A Xingu cory is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a Xingu cory breed?

Xingu cories have no widely documented record of reliable spawning in aquariums. Cories of their group lay sticky eggs, and the female positions them with her clasped pelvic fins.

Related species