Gery's Corydoras

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Endemic to the Rio Mamoré basin in Bolivia. Prefers small streams and rivers with slow or moderate flow, with clear or slightly turbid waters, and sand and clay bottoms scattered with submerged roots.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the Callichthyidae family. Medium-sized Corydoras (5.5 cm / 2.2 inches) with an elongated snout (long-snouted). The cranial structure is more tapered than most Corydoras, allowing for deeper digging.

Social Behavior: Exceptionally mild temperament. Long-snouted species tend to be less chaotic and more reflective in their movements than commercial species. Keeping them in schools (at least 6) ensures the full expression of their group outings on the bottom.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Spectacular and very rare "striped" rather than spotted livery. Features dark/black horizontal stripes on a silvery-white base body, making it look like a longitudinal zebra. The snout has dense spotting. Females are significantly more corpulent and taller.

Aquarium Setup: A thick layer of fine (silica) sand is absolutely necessary. Planted tank with Echinodorus, enriched with Driftwood and catappa leaves. Lights shielded by floating vegetation.

Diet and Feeding: Benthic carnivore. The long snout is used to flush out buried worms: regular use of live/frozen Tubifex or Bloodworms is indispensable, alternated with sinking tablets rich in fish or krill proteins.

Water Quality: Very well filtered water. Being a less common species, it tolerates neglect and nitrates very poorly. Ideal temperature between 22 and 26°C (72-79°F). Low hardness (GH 2-12) and pH tending to weakly acidic (6.0 - 7.2).

Compatibility and Tankmates: Exquisite tenant for medium-high level Amazonian community aquariums. Excellent cohabitation with schools of Tetras, Apistogramma, and other peaceful fish that are not aggressive over food. Avoid large predatory Cichlids.

Aquarium Reproduction: Reserved mostly for expert breeders, rarely described. Requires powerful thermal drops combined with a strong increase in live food to trigger T-position behaviors. Parents quickly devour their own eggs.

Risks and Diseases: Fatal barbel infections caused by sharp substrates (gravel/quartz). Excessive sensitivity to Copper or formaldehyde used in therapies against external diseases. It easily falls victim to starvation if food does not reach the substrate.