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Horseman Corydoras
Corydoras eques
📍 South America
Horseman Corydoras is a small, peaceful bottom-dwelling catfish native to South America. These charming fish are excellent scavengers that help maintain tank cleanliness while displaying interesting social behaviors with their own kind. They are hardy and beginner-friendly, making them ideal for community aquariums.
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Care Guide
Diet
Horseman Corydoras are bottom feeders that consume sinking pellets, algae wafers, and leftover food debris. Supplement their diet with blanched vegetables and occasional live foods like brine shrimp or bloodworms. Feed small amounts once daily, ensuring food reaches the substrate where they forage.
Behavior
These tiny catfish are active bottom dwellers that spend most of their time searching for food along the substrate. They are social fish that should be kept in groups of at least 4, where they display schooling behavior and interact peacefully with one another. They are nocturnal and most active during low-light periods.
Breeding
Breeding Horseman Corydoras in captivity is challenging and rarely achieved by hobbyists. They require specific water conditions, cooler temperatures, and a well-established tank with plenty of hiding spots. Successful breeding typically occurs in heavily planted tanks with minimal disturbance.
Tank Mates
Similar water parameters and peaceful temperament
Small, peaceful mid-water swimmer that won't compete for bottom space
Peaceful and occupies different tank zones
Fellow bottom dweller with compatible care requirements
Peaceful schooling fish with matching water parameter needs
Peaceful invertebrate that shares bottom-dwelling habitat
Common Diseases
Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis)
White spots on body and fins, rapid breathing, rubbing against objects
Increase water temperature to 79-82°F, use ich medication, perform daily water changes, ensure good aeration
Fin Rot
Frayed or deteriorating fins, discoloration at fin edges, lethargy
Improve water quality with frequent water changes, use antibacterial medication, remove sharp decorations
Barbel Erosion
Deterioration or loss of barbels around mouth, reduced feeding activity
Improve substrate quality (use sand instead of sharp gravel), enhance water quality, provide proper nutrition
Bacterial Infection
Sores on body, cloudy eyes, loss of appetite, behavioral changes
Perform large water changes, use broad-spectrum antibacterial medication, isolate affected fish if possible
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Quick Facts
- diet
- omnivore - sinks to bottom to feed on leftover food and detritus
- lifespan
- 3-5 years
- max size
- 3 cm (1.2 in)
- tank size
- 20 gallons minimum
- temperament
- peaceful
Water it likes
- ph
- 6.0-7.0
- ammonia
- 0 ppm
- nitrate
- <20 ppm
- hardness
- 2-12 dGH
- temperature
- 72–79°F (22–26°C)