Care
Reynolds Cory, also sometimes known as the Bumblebee Cory, is a peaceful bottom-dwelling catfish that is ideally suited to mature community aquaria. Described in 1960, this species was discovered in the Caquet province of eastern Colombia, which was quite far away from the usual fish collecting hotspots, hence it remained unknown in the hobby for some time. The habitat was shallow, sandy-bottomed, warm waters with gentle current.
The aquarium should be aquascaped with a soft, sandy substrate in order to protect the delicate sensory barbels of these fish, and plenty of shady hiding places should be provided amongst aquatic plants and driftwood. Filtration should be efficient, but water movement gentle. Keep in groups of 5 or more due to their sociable, shoaling nature and with tankmates that are small and peaceful. This is a delicate species which is, unfortunately, a little more susceptible to bacterial infections than other members of the genus. Frequent partial water changes are a must for these catfish, as they can be very sensitive to elevated nitrate levels. Warm, soft, slightly acidic water seems to serve them well. This species is not recommended for beginners. Corydoras have the ability to breathe air intestinally, so a small gap should be left between the surface of the water and the cover slides in order for the fish to come up to the surface and take air in. It may do this numerous times per day.
A fairly similar-looking species that is also referred to as a Bumblebee Cory and which was exported from Brazil during the late 1990s initially referred to as Corydoras sp. Asher was formally described in 2003 as Corydoras tukano and now becomes H. tukano.
Hoplisoma was recently split from Corydoras and contains many familiar species.
Feeding
Offer a variety of sinking catfish pellets, plus frozen foods such as bloodworm, white mosquito larvae, daphnia, and vitamin-enriched brineshrimp. Many keepers note that this species is rather more active during the evening and into the night, so be sure to coincide this with feeding times.
Breeding
This species has been bred in the home aquarium. In order to raise a good number of fry to adulthood, set up a separate breeding tank for some well-conditioned adult reynoldsi. The breeding set-up should include a sand substrate and several plants (including clumps of Java moss) which they can use as a spawning medium. A cool partial water change usually triggers the fish into action; after a courtship ritual, the fish should spawn in the usual T-position with the female depositing the large fertilised eggs one at a time onto the plants, substrate, tank glass, or other decor - it seems that anywhere is suitable. The adults should not predate on the eggs, but many aquarists choose to remove them and acclimatise them back to the main community aquarium. Once the eggs have hatched (this will be temperature dependent, but usually between 3 and 4 days) the larvae will feed from their yolk sacs for the first few days. After this time, the fry will require very regular feedings with baby brineshrimp (Artemia nauplii), microworms, and powdered flake foods. It is very important to maintain pristine water conditions at all times, and this can be tricky when feeding so regularly - siphon any debris from the bottom of the tank whilst performing daily small partial water changes (use water that matches in temperature and other parameters). A very small amount of a propriety anti-fungal agent may need to be added to the water to prevent fungal spores from attacking the eggs.
