Peppered catfish

Peppered catfish

Corydoras paleatus

MAINTENANCE: EASY / CARE: EASY / REPRODUCTION: POSSIBLE / COST: REASONABLE

This little catfish is active during both day and night in an incessant search for food. Furthermore, it makes use of its whiskers, known as barbels, when rummaging in search of insect larvae in the assorted remains of vegetation which litter the riverbed.

Map of Brazil.

FACT SHEET

Scientific name: Corydoras paleatus. Common name: Peppered catfish. Family: Callichthyidae. Origin: Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay. Natural habitat: Rivers with areas of fairly rapid current. Size: The male 6 cm, the female 7 cm. Sexual differences: The male is slimmer, the female has a plump belly, particularly at spawning time. Behaviour: Likes to live peacefully, but is always active.

In the aquarium

The Corydoras paleatus particularly appreciates the company of members of its own species. So that it feels completely at ease, keep at least eight to ten specimens. As it occupies the lower part of the aquarium and is peaceful, you can put it with a variety of companions: characidae, such as the neon and brass tetra or cichlids, such as the Apistogramma cacatuoides. A 150-litre aquarium is suitable. Although our Corydoras is not very demanding, it dislikes coarse sand. Avoid using quartz sand and volcanic rock or you risk seeing your occupants' barbels disappear. Use carefully rinsed fine sand.

Put a group of Echinodorus tenellus on the first level and pile some slate on top to offer cover to your fish. Plants such as Cabomba and Hygrophila polysperma will create the background. Filtration is carried out by an external filter with a flow capacity of two or three times the volume of the tank.

Feeding

The peppered catfish likes all kinds of food but you must watch that the other inhabitants of the aquarium do not eat everything before the food reaches the bottom. A worm-type supplement (such as bloodworms or Grindal worms) is strongly recommended if you want to try breeding.

Reproduction

Use a 50-litre aquarium with a bare floor but with several pots of wide-leafed plants, for example the Anubias variety, and fitted with an angled filter covered with filter wool. Rll the aquarium two-thirds full with water from the maintenance tank. After having fed your fish with live food, choose three males and one female in order for a maximum number of eggs to be fertilised. Introduce them into the aquarium and, the next day, top up the tank with fresh water.

The female will begin to clean the leaves of the plants and the panes of the aquarium with her mouth. A little later, she approaches a male and ejects five or six eggs. She keeps them between her ventral fins which form a small pocket. The male places himself vertically above his partner and lets his sperm escape. By moving his body, he circulates his semen around the eggs to fertilise them. The female then swims off and attaches her offspring to the cleaned areas. This process is repeated over three hours, then you can take the partners away. After three to four days, the first young will emerge.

The first food should comprise micro worms and brine shrimp nauplii. Be careful as the young ones are very sensitive to changes of water and the water will have to be of perfect quality for the first two weeks.

Discovering tubifex worms: a meal to share

Life in the aquarium
Maintenance	Perfect for living in a community aquarium in groups of 8 or 10.
PH	From 6.8 to 7.4.
Water hardness	Up to 18 dH.
Temperature	From 20 to 24°C.
Changing the water	At least 20% per month.
Food	Appreciates all types of food, but shows a marked preference for red midge larvae.
Reproduction	The female attaches her eggs to the decor and panes of the aquarium.
Compatibility	No problem.
Life expectancy	From 8 to 10 years.
Comments	It suits a community tank as it takes little notice of its aquarium companions.