Desana Corydoras

Geographical Origin and Habitat: South America, endemic to the Rio Negro basin in Brazil. Inhabits shaded, slow-flowing forest streams with soft sand beds covered in leaf litter.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Belongs to the Callichthyidae family. Features two rows of protective bony plates. Reaches a maximum length of 5.5 cm.

Social Behavior: Highly peaceful and schooling. Keep in groups of 6 or more. Actively sifts through the sand in search of food particles.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Features a silvery-grey base coloration with a dark longitudinal stripe along the sides. Females are plumper and larger than males when mature.

Aquarium Setup: An 80-liter aquarium with a soft, fine sand substrate is critical. Provide hiding places with driftwood, roots, and dense plantings.

Diet and Feeding: Bottom omnivore. Accepts high-quality sinking wafers, flakes, and frozen foods like daphnia, cyclops, and bloodworms.

Water Quality: Prefers soft, slightly acidic to neutral conditions. Maintain temperature at 22-27 °C, pH at 6.2-7.4, and hardness at 3-12 dGH.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Excellent community fish. Best housed with small tetras, pencilfish, and peaceful dwarf cichlids. Avoid large or aggressive tankmates.

Aquarium Breeding: Cave/plant egg scatterer in T-position. Induced by cool water changes. Spawners should be separated to protect the eggs.

Risks and Diseases: Susceptible to bacterial barbel infections if the substrate is sharp or allowed to become dirty. Keep the sand clean.