Panda corydoras care
Corydoras panda · Ucayali and Pachitea rivers, Peru
Panda corydoras like slightly cooler water than many tropicals (68 to 77 °F); keep six or more in a 15 gallon or larger tank with sand.
- Tank size
- 15 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 68 to 77 °F (20 to 25 °C)
- Group size
- 6 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2 in
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 5 to 10 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 15 gallon
24¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep panda corydoras
Panda corydoras like slightly cooler water than many tropicals (68 to 77 °F); keep six or more in a 15 gallon or larger tank with sand. Black eye patches and a black dorsal fin on a pale body make them easy to pick out.
Diet: Omnivore: sinking pellets, frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Panda corydoras tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Silvertip tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Harlequin rasbora
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–81 °F
Zebra danio
2 in · 10+ gal · 64–77 °F
Cherry barb
2 in · 20+ gal · 73–81 °F
Honey gourami
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–82 °F
Forktail blue-eye rainbowfish
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–80 °F
Lemon tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Emperor tetra
2 in · 20+ gal · 73–81 °F
Keep apart
German blue ram: No shared temperature: panda corydoras need 68 to 77 °F, German blue rams 78 to 85 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Amazon puffer: Amazon puffers nip slow fish such as panda corydoras.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as panda corydoras.
Zebra pleco: No shared temperature: panda corydoras need 68 to 77 °F, zebra plecos 79 to 86 °F.
Red-tail dwarf puffer: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
What a panda corydoras tank needs
A tank of 15 US gallons or more (such as the 15 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Small
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small fish. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 5–15 gal
Rated by the maker for 5–15 US gal, which covers a 15 gallon panda corydoras tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger AquaFall Aquarium Filter, M
Rated by the maker for 12–17 US gal, which covers a 15 gallon panda corydoras tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Panda corydoras need 68 to 77 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding panda corydoras.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 68 to 77 °F.
We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common panda corydoras problems
- Kept too warm for long they weaken; pair them with fish that like the same range.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Corydoras panda. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Panda corydoras Chronotopian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Silvertip tetra Filtropat; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Harlequin rasbora NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra danio Roundish, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry barb Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Honey gourami Antoon Dommerholt (Dutch Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Forktail blue-eye rainbowfish Dirk Godlinski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Lemon tetra SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Emperor tetra 7TP (Krzysztof Bartosik), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra pleco Peaceinpianos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red-tail dwarf puffer Neale Monks (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pygmy corydoras Birger A, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Salt-and-pepper corydoras D.W., CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bronze corydoras Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Otocinclus CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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