Care
Widely spread from Trinidad to Paraguay, the Bronze Cory is an ideal catfish for the community aquarium. Must be kept on a soft sand substrate and maintained in groups of 5 or more due to shoaling nature. Some shady planted areas should be provided. 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.
Within such a broad distribution, it's highly likely that there may be some cryptic species waiting to be described. Osteogaster was recently split from Corydoras and contains the Bronze cory group.
Feeding
Sinking catfish pellets, frozen foods such as mosquito larvae and brineshrimp.
Breeding
Mature pairs can be triggered into spawning by performing a large, slightly cooler water change. The pair will adopt the classic T position where the male fertilises the eggs that are held between the female's pelvic fins. The adhesive eggs will then be deposited onto plants, decor, or the sides of the aquarium etc and the process repeated. The eggs generally take 3-4 days to hatch after which time the tiny fry should be offered finely powdered first foods. A few days later they will be able to take newly hatched brineshrimp. To avoid predation and ensure a higher success rate, many fishkeepers move the parents to another aquarium after the eggs have all been deposited.
