Peppered corydoras care
Corydoras paleatus · La Plata basin, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay
Peppered corydoras are olive with dark mottling and prefer cooler water than most corys, from about 64 °F.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 64 to 77 °F (18 to 25 °C)
- Group size
- 6 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2.8 in
- pH
- 6 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 5 to 10 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep peppered corydoras
Peppered corydoras are olive with dark mottling and prefer cooler water than most corys, from about 64 °F. Six or more on sand suit a 20 gallon or larger tank, including unheated community tanks with white clouds or danios.
Diet: Omnivore: sinking pellets, frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Peppered 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.
Guppy
2.8 in · 10+ gal · 72–82 °F
Red eye tetra
2.8 in · 29+ gal · 73–82 °F
Gold barb
2.8 in · 20+ gal · 64–75 °F
Variatus platy
2.8 in · 15+ gal · 61–75 °F
Wrestling halfbeak
2.8 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Croaking gourami
2.8 in · 15+ gal · 72–82 °F
Tiger barb
3 in · 29+ gal · 74–80 °F
Black skirt tetra
3 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Keep apart
German blue ram: No shared temperature: peppered corydoras need 64 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 peppered corydoras.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as peppered corydoras.
Zebra pleco: No shared temperature: peppered corydoras need 64 to 77 °F, zebra plecos 79 to 86 °F.
Jewel cichlid: Jewel cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as peppered corydoras.
What a peppered corydoras tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below. Peppered corydoras are comfortable at room temperature, so a heater is optional in a normal home.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon peppered corydoras tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon peppered corydoras tank without being built for a far bigger one.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding peppered 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 64 to 77 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common peppered corydoras problems
- Kept too warm for long they weaken.
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 paleatus. 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.
- Peppered corydoras Przemysław Malkowski, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Guppy Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red eye tetra Jhartshorn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Gold barb Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Variatus platy Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Wrestling halfbeak Ahsan_al_hidayat, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Croaking gourami Howard Jelks, U.S. Geological Survey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tiger barb Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black skirt tetra emptyvi, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
- Jewel cichlid NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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
- Panda corydoras Chronotopian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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