From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Bronze Corydoras
Osteogaster aenea
- Temperature
- 21–27 °C
- pH
- 6 – 7.5
- Min. tank size
- 72 L
- Lifespan
- 10 years
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- easy
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Osteogaster aenea |
| Family: | Callichthyidae |
| Origin: | South America (widespread across the continent) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | easy |
| Diet: | omnivore |
| Max Size: | 7.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | peaceful |
| Min Group: | 6+ together |
| Varieties: | The bronze cory is a species complex rather than a single clean species, and the fish farmed for the trade may not all be the same thing — a taxonomic review is outstanding, and recent work places the species in Osteogaster rather than Corydoras. The albino is by far the most widely traded strain: a pale pink or orange body with red eyes, sold everywhere alongside the standard bronze. Reports on it are mixed — some breeders find the fry slower to develop, and there are persistent claims of poor eyesight and reduced male fertility in heavily inbred albino lines. Other cultivated strains include the green or emerald-tinted forms, a black bronze, and long-finned versions of both the bronze and the albino. The long-finned fish swim less efficiently and are best avoided. Do not confuse the strains with the similar species. The peppered cory (Hoplisoma paleatum) is a different fish that prefers cooler water, and the emerald "cory" (Brochis splendens) is a larger, deeper-bodied relative in another genus altogether. Albino and bronze forms shoal together happily, being the same species. |
| Lifespan: | 10 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Low to medium
- Min Tank:72 L
- Substrate:Soft sand (essential to protect barbels)
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:Moderate
Bronze Corydoras (Osteogaster aenea) is a species of fish in the family Callichthyidae. It is native to South America (widespread across the continent). The bronze cory is the armoured catfish most people meet first, and it is genuinely one of the best community fish there is: peaceful, busy, long-lived and constantly doing something. It is widely distributed across South America east of the Andes, from Colombia and Trinidad down to the Río de la Plata basin — one of the largest ranges of any Corydoras. The body is yellow to pink with a white belly, blue-grey over the head and back, and usually a brownish-orange patch just in front of the dorsal fin. Two pairs of barbels sweep the substrate constantly. Males reach about 6.5 cm and females about 7 cm. Average lifespan is around ten years — a long commitment for a fish this cheap, and far longer than most people expect when they buy six of them. Recent work has moved it to the genus Osteogaster, though the trade still calls it Corydoras aeneus.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- peaceful
- Keep in
- Groups of 6+
- Swims
- bottom
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Bronze Corydoras
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