There are a few names for this fish, but the most common is the Albino Cory.
| Common name: | There are a few names for this fish, but the most common is the Albino Cory. Some other names include: Albino Cory Catfish, Albino Corydoras. They fall into the family of armoured catfish. |
| Scientific name: | Corydoras Aeneus |
| Care Difficulty: | Easy |
| Adult Size: | About 7cm (2.8inches) |
| Original Origin: | South America – Technically the family this fish belongs to comes from South America, but the Albino variety has been bred this way in captivity. |
| Tank Size/Setup: | Minimum of 10 gallons (38 litres)All Corydoras species are bottom feeders and love planted aquariums with lots of hiding places that they can swim in and out of. They prefer a substrate that is very small stones or sand based so that they can forage through it for food. |
| Temperament / Compatibility: | Cory’s are very good community fish and do great in community tanks with other freshwater tropical fish of the same temperament. It is very rare to hear about aggressiveness with this species. |
| Water Temperature: | 22°C to 28°C (72°F to 83°F) |
| Water Hardness: | Water hardness is not that important as these fish can live in a very wide range. Anywhere between 35 to 450ppm (2 to 30°dgH/kH) will be fine for them. |
| Water pH: | 6pH to 8pH |
| Fish Food: | Being omnivorous bottom feeders, Cory’s will eat anything that falls down to the bottom of the tank. Give them some variation in their food to keep them healthy and energetic. |
| The Sexes: | Females are larger and have a fuller body than their male counterparts, but telling the sexes is easier during the mating process. |
| Breeding: | Breeding Corydoras is quite easy, providing the conditions are correct. The water should be of good quality and quite soft. Hardness of around 50 to 100ppm (3 to 6°dgH/kH) and the temperature around 28°C (83°F) should be perfect. The actual spawning process is quite fascinating to watch. The female indicates to the male that it is in the need of sperm. The male then presents its belly to the female, at which point the female sucks the sperm out of the male and swallows it. The sperm quickly passes through the female and comes into contact with the eggs before they are released. She will then release about 20 eggs and place them in a spot of her choosing. You may come home to find little white eggs attached to the glass on your tank. This process is repeated many times until about 200 eggs have been laid. Sometimes more than 1 male is involved as a single male may run short of sperm. The eggs take about 4 days to hatch, depending on the tank temperature. |
| Average Lifespan: | About 10 years. |
| Comments: | The Albino Cory is very popular in home aquariums. This may be because of the fishes colour, or lack of it. These fish are very sociable with their own kind and to keep them happy they should be in groups of at least 4. Some people like to keep a minimum of 6 together. Keeping them in groups like this makes them feel more comfortable and their happiness will show by how lively they are. |
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