Seasoning Your Tank With Salt & Pepper Corys

There are lots of different, diminutive Corydoras Catfish, three of them are regularly seen in local aquarium stores; the Salt and Pepper Corydora (Corydoras habrosus) is one of them, though likely the least frequent of the big three. C. habrosus come from a very limited range in the wild, only being found in two river drainages, the Apure and Arauca River systems in Venezuela and Colombia. This tight geographic origin may have something to do with the fact that they have very few common names. In addition to Salt and Pepper, they are also (but much less frequently) called the Rio Salinas Cory, Dainty Cory and the Venezuelan Pygmy Cory.

Salt and Pepper Corys fit well in the Pygmy designation, as males will rarely get bigger than an inch long, and females will get a tad bigger, but still stay less than an inch and a half long. As such, they are often suggested as ideal fish for very small aquariums; and in many ways they are. This is a personable and very active fish that is quite peaceful. They are hardy and easy to care for. Where we would caution people in regard to small tanks is that this Cory is very social by nature (even more than usual for Corys) and should always be kept in groups. We suggest having seven as a bare minimum, and this many could be kept in a ten-gallon tank, given adequate cover, filtration and food. A much better number to keep would be a dozen, and they'd be happy in an endless crowd of Corydoras. Given enough space, shoals of 30, 40, 50+ would be still vastly fewer than some wild groups but would be amazing to see in a home aquarium.

On the topic of tanks for these tiny Corydoras, they are not the flow lovers that many other species in their genus are. These come dense cover, planted or otherwise, in rivers that are low in flow. Corydoras habrosus often get stranded in the dry season, staying behind in the warm ponds left when the waters of the monsoon recede. As such, they are capable of breathing atmospheric air in a pinch, and still many die off seasonally from this. They need a very soft sand substrate, and if this isn't available, opt for a very small, rounded pebble to help protect their soft bellies and barbels. Salt and Peppers will do great in densely planted tanks and will help keep these plants clean of algae. They don't require leaf litter but do seem to relish having some to swim in and around. Rounded rocks and driftwood without sharp points can help round out this display.

Like most Corys, Salt and Pepper Corys are easy to feed. They will generally readily accept a wide variety of captive foods. We like to feed them a small sinking pellet, we suggest (and use) Nutramar's 1.7mm Freshwater Complete pellets. Another appropriate food is Nutramar's Shots, which can be stuck to the low glass, putting a target food right in their strike zone for them to graze on. The most important aspect of feeding any Pygmy Cory is getting food to it that is small enough. They will also greedily accept foods like brine, Grindal worms, tubifex etc as their wild diet has a large proportion of small invertebrates in it.

Breeding Corydoras habrosus has been successfully done in captivity, though the process is slow as the females only hold a few eggs at a time. This is a great challenge for the home aquarist, as it does take a little more elbow grease than the easiest species to rear but is still within the capability of most. A ratio of two males for every female is a good place to start. They can be tricky to tell apart, but once you have one more than an inch long, and slightly plumper than average, you can pretty well count that as a female. Simulating an Amazonian season has been used as a breeding trigger before, lower the water level, warm it up and reduce aeration for a couple weeks. Follow this by large, frequent water changes, cooler temps and increased aeration. Then watch for spawning. Eggs are frequently laid on glass, or broad leaf plants. Spawning mops can be used, and are ideal for removing the eggs, which should be done (in lieu of this, remove the adults). Eggs will hatch in a few days, and babies can be fed infusoria or micro worms (upcoming article on baby fish food coming).

Primarily as a result of the slow nature of this process, most C. habrosus are wild caught. As such, a little more care should be taken with water parameters than with some of their aquacultured family members. This fish will do best in water than is soft (less than 15 DH) and in the mid 70s Fahrenheit. Stain is not a necessity, though the fish may be more active if you decide to go this route. They will do best in water with a slightly acidic pH, between six and seven should be the goal. Salt and Pepper Corys are fairly adaptable to different parameters but should be acclimated to them slowly.

There's a wide range of fish and invertebrates that would be good tank mates for Corydoras habrosus. Tetras are a great choice. As this Cory can / does occasionally spend more time in the middle of the water column than some other genus members, they can be found trying to shoal with Tetras of similar coloration. Other good choices are other Corys, Hatchets, small Otos, small Killis, and other peaceful, soft water lovers. While they are pretty likely to consume the fry of dwarf ornamental shrimp, Salt and Pepper Corys are pretty safe with adult shrimp. You should avoid fish big enough to try to make a meal of the Cory; their dorsal spine makes them tough to eat, and so attempts at consuming them often end badly for both the Cory and their attacker.

Corydoras of all kinds are staff favorites around here. They are so active and gregarious, while being interesting and hardy. It's a freshwater combination that is hard to beat. Always keep a lot of them, and they will always keep you entertained. If you're interested in trying Salt and Pepper Corys in your own tank, be sure to ask for sustainably harvested Corydoras habrosus from Aquatropic. Tell your LFS we sent you!