A hardy, peaceful Corydoras with a mottled 'peppered' pattern. Excellent community bottom-dweller that thrives in groups and cooler, well-oxygenated water.
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A hardy, peaceful Corydoras with a mottled 'peppered' pattern. Excellent community bottom-dweller that thrives in groups and cooler, well-oxygenated water.
Stocky Corydoras body with pale bronze-silver base overlaid by dark peppery spots and marbling across flanks and fins; translucent fins; expressive eyes; downward mouth with sensitive barbels. Adults reach about 2.5–3 inches.
5–8 years (up to ~10 with excellent care)
Omnivorous; accepts sinking micro-pellets, wafers, bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, and occasional blanched vegetables.
A classic Corydoras—hardy, forgiving, and endlessly endearing in a school. Provide soft sand, high oxygenation, and clean water for long-term health and easy breeding potential.
Beginner to Intermediate
20 gallons (for a group of 6+)
6.0 to 7.5
2–15 dGH
68–77°F (20–25°C)
2.5 to 3 inches
Neon/Ember Tetras, Harlequin Rasboras, Guppies, Platies, Mollies, peaceful Dwarf Gouramis, Otocinclus, Shrimp, and Snails.
Large/aggressive cichlids, Tiger Barbs, male Bettas, or any fish that nips fins or outcompetes them at the bottom.
Corydoras paleatus
Callichthyidae
Southern Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay; cooler streams and ponds with sand/mud bottoms and vegetation.
Schooling species; keep 6–10+ for confidence and natural activity.
Feed 1–2× daily. Use quality sinking pellets/wafers; supplement with frozen/live bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, and occasional blanched zucchini/cucumber. Ensure food reaches the bottom.
pH: 6.0–7.5, Temperature: 68–77°F (20–25°C), Hardness: 2–15 dGH, Ammonia/Nitrite: 0 ppm, Nitrate: <20 ppm
Barbel erosion from sharp gravel or dirty substrate; ich; fin rot; stress in warm, poorly oxygenated water. Prevent with fine sand, regular water changes, and good flow/aeration.
Very peaceful, social, and active in groups of 6+. Forages constantly, occasionally dashes to the surface to gulp air (normal intestinal breathing). Shy if kept alone.
Peppered Cory (Corydoras paleatus) is one of the earliest and most enduringly popular Corydoras in the hobby. Native to cooler, temperate parts of South America, it tolerates a wider temperature range than many tropical Corys and appreciates strong oxygenation and clean, fine sand substrates that protect its delicate barbels. As an armored catfish, it bears bony plates rather than scales and is highly social—keeping a school unlocks its natural shoaling, foraging, and resting behaviors. It is an excellent 'substrate sweeper' for community aquaria, reducing leftover food and gently aerating the top layer of sand while remaining entirely non-aggressive.