- Common name: Fairy cory
- Scientific name: Corydora atropersonatus
- Family: Callichthyidae
- Sub family: Corydoradinae
- Geographical location: South America
- Size: 4 - 5 cm
- Water conditions: 6.0 - 7.0 pH, 21-24°C
Corys are bottom dwellers from the shoals of the tributaries and rivers of South America and make an excellent addition to any planted aquarium. This particular species is quite small, only getting to about 5cm in length unlike the 10cm that some of the larger corys can grow to. The distinctive dark diagonal line over their eyes and their spotted body identifies them as being fairy corys. If the dark line is faint enough and their spots fine enough they can be confused with C. julii, a more rare and expensive cory. In their natural habitat corys forage for insects and vegetable matter in the substrate using their barbels. In our aquarium we feed them a complete sinking pellet for bottom dwellers and invertebrates (nutrafin sinking complete tablets). Cory barbels are sensitive and can be cut or torn easily on any sharp or rough edges of the substrate. For this reason it is recommended that you use a substrate that is rounded such as round gravel (sand), dupla ground, eco complete or aquasoil. Seachem’s flourite, while great for growing plants in, is not very suited to keeping corys.
We have actually seen the signature cory defence called “Cory Torpedo” in the aquasoil one day. Our fattest cory, Lucille, was trying to escape our fish net while being moved to another tank. The defensive move involves them gathering speed and diving head first into the substrate until their body is about half buried. One thing to remember with the softer semi-fired clays like aquasoil is that the corys foraging will stir up a lot of dust and cloud the water. While this is not necessarily harmful to the corys it is aesthetically a little unsightly. Corys like to be kept in groups of at least 3 to 6 and can be a bit timid so give them plants, rocks or driftwood in the tank to hide and swim behind. You need to be a little carefull ith your choice of plants as their constant foraging will dig up small rooted species such as HC and nardoo.