# Corydoras habrosus



## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Anyone have experience with this species? Thinking about trying to find a dozen or so for my 38-gallon planted.


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

Easy to care for and breed. Adults do not eat their young and the fry eat adult food immediately. I keep mine in a 20 gal with some L134 plecos for company. They eat flakes and sinking pellets of all sort and nip on veggies a little too. Mine lay their eggs on the tank walls and in the roots of some bulbitis fern and on the stems of dwarf vals. The temps are between low 70s and 80 depending on the season as I do not use a heater. I covered the filter intake with filter pads to keep the fry safe. Water changes 20% every 2 weeks. Small pebbles mixes in with coarse sand, a piece of driftwood and an assortment of plants but mostly dwarf vals. My group has grown from 6 to over 60 and I have been selling them at my local club routinely. Very nice fish but also very small so best in a species only tank or with small type plecos. TDS is around 130 with a PH of 7 or slightly under. I use R/O water but add equilibrium.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

You need soft water, low tds, for breeding. But they'll be fine with most params, nothing too hard.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

garfieldnfish said:


> Easy to care for and breed. Adults do not eat their young and the fry eat adult food immediately. I keep mine in a 20 gal with some L134 plecos for company. They eat flakes and sinking pellets of all sort and nip on veggies a little too. Mine lay their eggs on the tank walls and in the roots of some bulbitis fern and on the stems of dwarf vals. The temps are between low 70s and 80 depending on the season as I do not use a heater. I covered the filter intake with filter pads to keep the fry safe. Water changes 20% every 2 weeks. Small pebbles mixes in with coarse sand, a piece of driftwood and an assortment of plants but mostly dwarf vals. My group has grown from 6 to over 60 and I have been selling them at my local club routinely. Very nice fish but also very small so best in a species only tank or with small type plecos. TDS is around 130 with a PH of 7 or slightly under. I use R/O water but add equilibrium.



I'll be using RO water with Equilibrium as well, and my pH will hover just below 7, so I'm good there.

I'll have a school of tetras in the 38-gallon tank (cardinals probably) and 2-4 Bolivian rams as well. Any possible compatibility issues there? The tank will be heavily planted and has driftwood.

Bump:


mistergreen said:


> You need soft water, low tds, for breeding. But they'll be fine with most params, nothing too hard.


I'm not necessarily looking to breed, but my parameters will be good for that -- RO water with Equilibrium and a very small amount of KH buffer. Will be a GH no higher than 6, KH around 2-3, pH below 7.


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## Nevets9333 (Jun 11, 2014)

I LOVE these guys. I have 5 in my small 35 L planted tank with 1 betta. They love sandy substrate. They eat much anything that falls to the bottom of the tank. Most of the time they are resting on the floor, but they swim around as a small school sometimes too looking for food. They do not seem to be very picky for parameters either as long as everything is stable. If you can get a larger school I highly recommend them!


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Pretty much typical cories, though they do leave the bottom a bit more than most other cories. Be mindful of their size and keep them away from big fish. Also, treat for parasites if they're recently caught- they often have problems with gut parasites when first purchased.


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## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

end3r.P said:


> I'll have a school of tetras in the 38-gallon tank (cardinals probably) and 2-4 Bolivian rams as well. Any possible compatibility issues there? The tank will be heavily planted and has driftwood.


 I keep all three "dwarf" species of Corys (C. Habrosus, C. Pygmaeus, C. Hastatus) together with a couple German Blue Rams (similar to Bolivian) and they coexist just fine. Sometimes the rams get a little bored and might peck at ANY fish near it. Warm harm or chase them, but it does shoo them away for no aparent reason (not for territory) other than boredom. But I don't know, I suppose if the rams are big enough and the new corys are small enough, they could possibly swallow them up, but I doubt so.

I keep over 20 species of Corydoras and if I had to pick which one out of all them of to keep, it would be C. Pygmaeus or C. Hastatus (but are harder to find and cost 3-4x more), since they are much more active, swimming higher up in the water column as well as bottom dwelling. Not the most colorful, but they personalities make up for it (like little puppies playing). They are like a swimming fish and bottom dweller all in one. You can even tell by how their body shape is different. Plus they are funny to watch them sit on plant leaves. C. Habrosus are pretty much like every other cory that bottom dwells, mostly on the substrate, not as active as the other two dwarves.

Nothing wrong with C. Habrosus though, if you like them get them. I have a couple groups of them, but just mentioning my preferences, which yours might be different and that's perfectly fine.

Aspidora Pauciradiatus (Corydora relative) are also cool. They are like inbetween, more active and swims at higher levels than most corys, but not quite as much as the other 2 dwarves. In my opinion they kind of look better, especially when they get older and in breeding condition, the two stripes on their back turn fairly reflective shining goldish-pink, pretty eye-catching.

But anyways, pretty much all of the Corydoras are very hardy and can adapt, but it is appreciated to acclimate them gently.
The cardinals and rams with the dwarf Corys should be fine.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

WaterLife said:


> I keep all three "dwarf" species of Corys (C. Habrosus, C. Pygmaeus, C. Hastatus) together with a couple German Blue Rams (similar to Bolivian) and they coexist just fine. Sometimes the rams get a little bored and might peck at ANY fish near it. Warm harm or chase them, but it does shoo them away for no aparent reason (not for territory) other than boredom. But I don't know, I suppose if the rams are big enough and the new corys are small enough, they could possibly swallow them up, but I doubt so.
> 
> I keep over 20 species of Corydoras and if I had to pick which one out of all them of to keep, it would be C. Pygmaeus or C. Hastatus (but are harder to find and cost 3-4x more), since they are much more active, swimming higher up in the water column as well as bottom dwelling. Not the most colorful, but they personalities make up for it (like little puppies playing). They are like a swimming fish and bottom dweller all in one. You can even tell by how their body shape is different. Plus they are funny to watch them sit on plant leaves. C. Habrosus are pretty much like every other cory that bottom dwells, mostly on the substrate, not as active as the other two dwarves.
> 
> ...


You are a font of knowledge on Corydoras; thanks for sharing.

A. pauciradiatusis might be the one for me... the coloration is very nice, and sounds like I'll get a little more mid-tank activity.

My tank is 38 gallons, with a 36"x12" footprint. I was thinking a dozen of these little guys would work well; does that sound right? I've attached a photo of my setup (subject to change).

Bump: Well, after doing some more reading on these, now I'm thinking C. pygmaeus could be fun too... decisions, decisions. I have a few weeks to decide, so we'll see. May come down to price and what my LFS can acquire.


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## Irish-n-Zwack (Aug 10, 2015)

Wow. That's a really pretty tank, and I REALLY like it. I love the wood, the plants, the white sand on top. Everything! Whatever you choose will be very happy in there, I'm sure.


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## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

end3r.P said:


> Bump: Well, after doing some more reading on these, now I'm thinking C. pygmaeus could be fun too... decisions, decisions. I have a few weeks to decide, so we'll see. May come down to price and what my LFS can acquire.


Thanks, but I am by no means a authority figure on Corys, but have done my fair share of keeping them.

C. Pygmaeus are what I would go with. They too get a bit of pinkish-goldish iridescent "glow" on them like Aspidora Pauciradiatus do, not as nice coloration, but still decent. But little more activity levels of Pygmy corys make up for it. Not to mention they are one of the cheapest (normally $2 per fish, but have seen at $3, at least on the west coast) and if you find a good supplier or ask the fish manager at your LFS they might give you a bulk discount (some don't because they think the fish is already too cheap, same with 99c neon tetras). Aspidora Pauciradiatus are less common to find available and generally cost from $4-7 depending where you find them. So since pygmy corys are cheaper, you can afford a larger group which is even more fun. Don't worry too much about their bioloads since they are small and don't really have much of a bioload. 10-12 is nice, but as always, the more the merrier! Have fun with them!


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Irish-n-Zwack said:


> Wow. That's a really pretty tank, and I REALLY like it. I love the wood, the plants, the white sand on top. Everything! Whatever you choose will be very happy in there, I'm sure.


Thank you! It took a couple weeks of re-scaping, but I've finally messed with it enough and am pretty happy with the look. I think it will look even better as the plants grow in, especially in the background. 

Now I just have to wait for it to finish cycling so I can fill it with some of these corys (among others)...

Bump:


WaterLife said:


> Thanks, but I am by no means a authority figure on Corys, but have done my fair share of keeping them.
> 
> C. Pygmaeus are what I would go with. They too get a bit of pinkish-goldish iridescent "glow" on them like Aspidora Pauciradiatus do, not as nice coloration, but still decent. But little more activity levels of Pygmy corys make up for it. Not to mention they are one of the cheapest (normally $2 per fish, but have seen at $3, at least on the west coast) and if you find a good supplier or ask the fish manager at your LFS they might give you a bulk discount (some don't because they think the fish is already too cheap, same with 99c neon tetras). Aspidora Pauciradiatus are less common to find available and generally cost from $4-7 depending where you find them. So since pygmy corys are cheaper, you can afford a larger group which is even more fun. Don't worry too much about their bioloads since they are small and don't really have much of a bioload. 10-12 is nice, but as always, the more the merrier! Have fun with them!


That's what I'm leaning towards... might go with as many as 16 pygmies given how small they are.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

WaterLife said:


> Thanks, but I am by no means a authority figure on Corys, but have done my fair share of keeping them.
> 
> C. Pygmaeus are what I would go with. They too get a bit of pinkish-goldish iridescent "glow" on them like Aspidora Pauciradiatus do, not as nice coloration, but still decent. But little more activity levels of Pygmy corys make up for it. Not to mention they are one of the cheapest (normally $2 per fish, but have seen at $3, at least on the west coast) and if you find a good supplier or ask the fish manager at your LFS they might give you a bulk discount (some don't because they think the fish is already too cheap, same with 99c neon tetras). Aspidora Pauciradiatus are less common to find available and generally cost from $4-7 depending where you find them. So since pygmy corys are cheaper, you can afford a larger group which is even more fun. Don't worry too much about their bioloads since they are small and don't really have much of a bioload. 10-12 is nice, but as always, the more the merrier! Have fun with them!


Resurrecting this thread... I was set on C. pygmaeus, but my wife is partial to slightly larger corydoras. I have a chance to order some C. elegans. Any experience with these? From what I've read, they spend more time at the mid-level and grow up to 2 inches, so bigger than the pygmy varieties, but smaller than the typical Corydoras (aeneus, panda, etc.). Thoughts?


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## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

end3r.P said:


> Resurrecting this thread... I was set on C. pygmaeus, but my wife is partial to slightly larger corydoras. I have a chance to order some C. elegans. Any experience with these? From what I've read, they spend more time at the mid-level and grow up to 2 inches, so bigger than the pygmy varieties, but smaller than the typical Corydoras (aeneus, panda, etc.). Thoughts?




I haven't kept C. Elegans, but I have kept C. Nanus and C. Bilineatus (San Juan), which are very similar to C. Elegans in coloration/pattern, body shape |(is distinguishable though with some being skinnier) and size.


With my experience with the two similar species I have kept, they stay on the bottom most of the time like the larger corys. From seeing C. Elegans at my LFS quite often, I've only seen then spend time on the substrate. With them being similar, I think they would probably be more of a bottom dweller. But I could be wrong as I haven't personally kept them, just my best speculation.


They are more active and faster during spawning behavior compared to larger corys, but general everyday activity is more of the typical larger corys and not like C. Pygmaeus.


Often times LFS will mislabel the C. Elegans and they could be of any similar looking species (which there are about 8 similar looking Corys), but I believe their swimming behavior is all rather the same. If you can find out (ask LFS fish manager where shipment came from) the location where the Corys were collected you could narrow down which species it could be if you really wanted to know.


Watch this video I just found on YT, you can see how the pygmys stay mid water more and it has some Elegant corys in there, swimming around some, but not as mid-water-ish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsKWoxkY_-8


They are all great Corys, just some are more active than others. C. Elegans might not be as active, but their bigger more noticeable size might give them the edge. Can't really go wrong with either. Go with what makes the wife happy haha.


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## gbb0330 (Nov 21, 2015)

Gentlemen in the Altnata area, did you buy yours at a LFS or ordered online?


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