Xingu cory

Corydoras xinguensis

FreshwaterFish

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: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Brazil
Family: Callichthyidae

Overview

The Xingu cory is a peaceful, hardy shoaler that does well in a group of at least six. It forages over the sandy bottom with its barbels and mixes easily with small, calm community fish. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and daphnia, and a little algae wafer, checking that the food reaches the floor. Undemanding and steady, a group is comfortable in a tank of around 70 liters or larger with soft sand to work over.

In the wild

Corydoras xinguensis comes from the Rio Xingu in the Brazilian Amazon, living over sand in warm, soft, clear flowing water. Provide a soft sand bed, driftwood, dried leaves, and shaded planting, with clean, gently filtered water. Keep the temperature between 22 and 27 C and the pH from about 6.0 to 7.5, with regular water changes to keep the water clear.

Good to know

This armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae reaches about 5 cm and takes its name from the Rio Xingu, its home river. It carries a pattern of fine dark spots over a pale body in the style of many Amazon cories. Two rows of bony scutes armor each flank. Reliable aquarium spawning is not widely documented, though the group lays sticky eggs the female positions with her clasped pelvic fins.

Did you know

This cory is named for the Rio Xingu, a large clearwater tributary of the Amazon in Brazil famous among aquarists as the home of many prized fishes, from plecos to this hardy little spotted cory.