Hoplisoma panda

The corydora is a type of catfish which are mostly bottom dwellers. These little guys like to school so keeping a minimum of 5 is required. They're a pretty easy species to keep as they require little care and are great at bottom feeding and cleaning the tank of detritus.

Average size: 4-6 cm
Lifespan: 5 years
Territorial: No
Diet: Omnivorous
Activness: Diurnal
Level: Beginner

Description: Panda Corys are known for, well, looking like a panda. They have a black spot over the eyes, black band on the caudal peduncle and dorsal fin while the rest of the body is usually light sandy brown.

As with most catfish, the females tend to have a rounder belly than the males. Females in this species are also larger than males by about double in size.

Activity includes digging their bristles into the sand substrate looking for food and shoaling together across the tank, usually dwelling on the bottom but sometimes you will see them swimming up and down the glass usually in a mating pattern.

Mating rituals are unique in this species as well, with the females pressing on the sides of a selected male, guiding the sperm to her underside where her eggs are ready to be fertilized. She will then carry her fertilized eggs in her pelvic fins and find a suitable place to lay them, usually in an area with heavy plant material and good water flow so the eggs can receive adequate oxygen while incubating. With the right conditions, the brownish eggs usually hatch within 5-7 days while whiter eggs tend to be unfertile and usually get recycled into the environment. Newborn fry like to hide, so its usually hard to detect them until a few weeks later unless they dart out in the open to a new hiding spot. They're usually about 1cm or smaller when born.

Tank mates can generally include just about any species that is not aggressive as they keep to their own shoals are are super friendly fish to keep.