Bronze Cory

The Bronze Cory (Corydoras aeneus) has to be one the most well known species of Corydoras that are to be found in the aquatic stores, they are relatively easy to breed in the aquarium which means that there are always stocks of these to be found which in turn keeps the purchase price of these fish at a reasonable cost to the fish keeper. There are many colour variations to this species and they are sometimes referred to as the Green Cory but in fact they are also available in Black and Albino varieties. Beware though, some dubious dealers are now using this species of Corydoras for the practice of dyeing the fish so only purchase these from a reputable dealer, in in doubt do not buy.

They are found naturally in South America, namely Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela where they inhabit the water ways in large groups, all Corydoras are a social fish and need the company of their own kind to settle properly in the aquarium. They belong to the family of Callichthyidae and are sometimes called by the collective name of armoured catfish along with their close cousins, the reason for this are the bony plates that cover their bodies, this offers the fish some protection from predators but they are still quite delicate and do best with other peaceful species of fish that will not harass them.

The Bronze Cory only has an adult size of 2.5 inches and they are quite long lived, anything up to 5 years, this makes them a good choice for novice fish keepers who have smaller aquariums but like all species of fish they must be given a home that has good water quality at all times.

The aquarium should be set up with a soft substrate, the Bronze Cory has delicate barbels, if these become damaged they can lose them, poor water quality will also lead to barbel damage so bear this in mind. The Bronze Cory can also be a shy and retiring species, they require cover in the aquarium and as mentioned above, they also need to be kept in small groups of at least 6 specimens. Add wood or rock formations to provide over and plant the aquarium out, this will guarantee that they have somewhere to hide if they require it and strangely enough, the more cover in the tank, the more that the fish tend to stay in the open knowing they can retreat if they need to. The water temperature needs to range from 22-26 deg C (72-79 degrees F) and keep the pH around the neutral mark, if it drops below 7.0 slightly then all the better for the fish.

Corydoras prefer shallower tanks, they inhabit the shallow rivers in the wild, the lighting needs to be subdued, adding floating plants will help with this and always use a reliable filter, help the filter out with regular water changes, at least 10% weekly. Never add salt to the tank while there are Bronze Cory present, they are intolerant to this and it can burn them.

Feeding the Bronze Cory

Feeding any species of Corydoras can be a difficult task as their tank mates tend to get the first pick of the food as it makes its way to the bottom of the tank. One way around this is to feed your Bronze Cory just after the tank lights go out, at this time the other fish tend to become more sluggish and the Cory start to liven up. When feeding make sure that the Bronze Cory get their fair share of the food.

These fish are omnivorous and will accept most foods that you offer, use a quality flake or sinking pellets for the staple diet, algae wafers are also a good addition as well as the occasional meal of spirulina flake. For meaty foods give them treats twice a week of blood worms, brine shrimp, daphnia or mysis, they will relish these treats but do not over feed them on these or it can lead to digestive problems. Set one day of the week aside for not feeding the fish at all, this may sound harsh but the fish will then purge their digestive systems leaving them ready for the next week of feeding.

Breeding the Bronze Cory

Breeding these fish is very simple, they are one of the easiest species of Corydoras to get to breed without too much coaxing from the keeper. Purchase a group of juveniles, six of these should guarantee that you get at least one breeding pair. When viewed from above the females will be slightly larger than the males and they will have a stockier body shape, especially when they start to swell with eggs. The fish should mature in a few months and they can now be conditioned on regular meals of live or frozen foods, this will keep them strong during the spawning process, especially the females. Make sure that the water is slightly acidic and the quality is high, add some Java Moss or spawning mops to act as potential spawning sites but they may lay their eggs anywhere in the tank. An air driven sponge filter is sufficient for the filtration.

The males will start to chase the females and she will then start to clean her chosen sites, after this is completed, she will then start to chase the male. The two fish will then assume the classic “T” position while mating and the eggs will de deposited. After spawning is complete, remove the parent fish and the eggs should hatch after 4-5 days. The fry will initially consume their yolk sacs for 2-3 days before they are ready for feeding, their first meals should consist of Infusoria or a commercial fry food for egg layers. A couple of weeks later the fry will be large enough to accept meals of newly hatched brine shrimp and a couple of weeks after that try them with micro worms.

During the whole time perform regular water changes to keep the quality high or the fry will begin to suffer.