Sterbai Cory 4cm

Sterbai Cory are a genus of freshwater aquarium catfish and one of the most popular species of Corydoras due to its attractive markings. The fish is native to the Guaporé River region between Bolivia and Brazil.

They are attractive little fish that are easy to care for, making them perfect for the beginner hobbyist.  They are best kept in schools of 4 to 6 in a community aquarium.

You can identify these by the twin rows of armor plating that runs along Cory’s flanks.  They have less than ten dorsal fin fays and their head and body are dark brown with horizontal rows of white spots. They also have a pair of barbels on the ir snout which they use to scavenge trhough substrate in search of food.

Behaviour

Sterbai Cory naturally frequent the bottom of the tank.  These fish are air breathers so if they go up to the surface more and more frequently, it could be a sign that there is too much ammonia and nitrates in the water, or that they are not getting enough oxygen. Be sure to test the water quality routinely.

Tank Conditions

Since they enjoy scavenging through substrates for food scraps, you need to choose smooth sand or gravel so that there a no rough edges to harm them. In order to provide an environment close to their natural home, you should provide lots of driftwood, rock caves, dense planting and some floating plants (such as hornswort).  They like soft, acidic water and some driftwood will help to stabilize the pH.  The natural environment has a fairly fast flowing current so make sure that you use a pump and maybe some air stones, that generates a fast water flow.

Compatibility

You can keep almost any fish with these peaceful corys but avoid large bottoms dwellers which could stress them.  Bettas make good tank mates even though they are aggressive they tend to ignore Cory.  We have some lovely fancy betta available.

Feeding

These Omnivores enjoy a varied diet.  They like scavenging at the bottom of the tank but do need a balanced diet to keep the healthy.  You should offer them a mix of live and dried foods.  Be sure to include some sinking catfish pellets as well as flake food.

Even though they are bottom scavengers, they need a varied diet to keep them healthy.  You should provide a mix of live and dried foos.  Also include some sinking pellets, flakes.  Once a week you need to offer some frozen foods such as artemia, bloodworms, daphne or brine shrimp to provide the protein that they need.

Care

Sterbai Corys are very easy to look after and this makes them a great choice for beginners but they are happiest in a school of about 6 fish.

If you are not careful about the quality of the water, Cory can end up with damaged barbels or they may even fall off.  An antibacterial treatment usually fixes this problem but unfortunately the barbels will not regrow.  They can also suffer from Fin rot and Ich