How to Care Guide for Pygmy Cory Catfish

The Pygmy Cory Catfish is a popular freshwater fish known for their short, easy to care for bodies. They’re cute and fun to watch while proving straightforward when it comes time to take care of them! This guide will teach you everything there is about the proper way to keep these unique little guys safe in your tank. From diet information that ensures they always have enough food on hand, reasons why water conditions are crucial (and how often!), who makes good company with whom, all the ways we can help ensure everyone stays happy including yourself!

Pygmy Cory Catfish Characteristics:

The Pygmy Cory Catfish has a short, little body that’s a dark gray color along the top while fading to a lighter silver shade on its underside. It sports spots of orange and white all over that give it a very striking appearance. These guys have an upturned mouth that looks almost like they’re always smiling! Their eyes are what makes them stand out the most, though. While each one has two small eyes just under their head, there is also the presence of another pair of eyes right above those. This gives them quite the unique look and definitely helps make them seem closer to an actual pet than just another fish hanging out in your tank!

One common nickname for these guys is “the poor man’s plecostomus,” which makes sense considering they look a lot like the common Pleco fish. In fact, quite a few compare them side by side and say it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between the two. They each have their own unique traits that help set them apart though! For example, Pygmy Cory Catfish have a slightly more noticeable dorsal fin than a pleco does along with that second pair of eyes above their mouths.

Pygmy Cory Catfish Origin:

Pygmy Cory Catfish come from swamps throughout South America where they live mostly on land inside hollow logs or underneath leaves during their waking hours before heading back out into the water at night.

Pygmy Cory Catfish Size:

These little guys only reach a maximum length of about 2 inches, making them an incredibly easy species to house in a basic tank! They may be small but they’re also very active and love swimming around, especially when it comes time to eat dinner. This means you should always have at least a 10 gallon tank going with plenty of room for their antics. Also remember that these guys can reproduce quickly, so plan on having more than one if you want your tank to stay the same size!

Pygmy Cory Catfish Colors and Markings:

What we mentioned earlier about their spots being orange and white is completely true! In fact, these spots are even brighter when these fish are placed in an area with better lighting. And speaking of lighting, let’s quickly discuss the color variations you might see among the Pygmy Cory Catfish. Remember that darker shade on their top that was a dark gray? That changes to a light silver color along their stomachs! The colors aren’t limited only to those two options, though. Many times you can find one with what looks like a thin line of white running down its back as well!

Pygmy Cory Catfish Tankmates:

There are three major things you need to ask yourself before adding any fish to your tank. First off, does it fit in your size requirements? Does it around and play? And finally, is it good company for everyone else you already have in the tank? When it comes to the Pygmy Cory Catfish, it turns out they fit all three of these questions! They’re small enough that even a 10 gallon is plenty of space. They’re friendly and love playing with other fish since they like swimming around so much. And their natural habitat makes them compatible with many different species including:

– Platies

– Mollies

– Guppies

– Tetras

As long as your tankmates are peaceful like this and aren’t known to make quick work out of eating smaller fish alive (like Angelfish), chances are you can add them together without any problems! It’s also a good idea to keep only one of these guys per tank, since they tend to be very territorial and will fight with each other until only one is left.

Pygmy Cory Catfish Care:

– Temperature range: 72 – 82 degrees Fahrenheit

– PH level of 6.5 – 7.5

– Water Hardness: 2 – 15 dGH

As we mentioned earlier, these fish come from the swamps where the water tends to be pretty still and shallow. Because of that, you should always try to mimic those conditions for them in your tank! They don’t necessarily need current in their habitat but instead prefer it calm along with plenty plants for hiding places throughout the tank.

Pygmy Cory Catfish Lifespan:

Since their natural environment doesn’t tend to be very high in algae, many owners feed these guys a diet of sinking shrimp pellets or even beef heart since they’re so small! This results in a lifespan of around 3 – 5 years when you take proper care of them at home. It is possible for them to live longer if you add some bottom feeder tablets every once in a while as well though!

Pygmy Cory Catfish Diet and Feeding:

Since the Pygmy Cory Catfish are from an area with hard water, you can assume they have a pretty healthy appetite! Some owners have also reported that their fish actually enjoy sinking pellets, so feel free to give them one or two during mealtime. Other than that, their main staple should be some form of shrimp! These guys love chasing around live pieces of food and will stalk them until they’re ready to pounce. The only downside is that you probably don’t want to feed these guys too often since they tend to get pretty rowdy when it comes time for dinner! On average, plan on feeding your fish once every other day (or even up 3 times a week).

Pygmy Cory Catfish Gender Differences:

Male vs female? Yes! You can actually tell which gender your fish is by the shape of its fin along with where it rests on its body! Because this fish is incredibly small, it’s hard to tell them apart on first glance. But once you get a closer look, you should be able to notice that one fin will sit slightly lower than the other. In addition, the males tend to have their dorsal fins located close together whereas the females have theirs further apart from each other. This might not always hold true though since all of these fish have been raised in captivity for so long and thus might have more of a tendency towards one gender or another based on how they were bred!

Pygmy Cory Catfish Breeding:

Since this fish was bred by humans rather than being found in its natural habitat, there’s no way for us to know whether or not these guys will breed on their own! The only thing you can do is to give them a tank like any other fish and hope they begin producing offspring! The good news is that the Pygmy Cory Catfish has been bred in captivity since its discovery, so it doesn’t seem like breeding them would be too difficult.

Conclusion:

To summarise, here are some pointers you should keep in mind if you purchase this fish for your aquarium:

– Keep only one cory per tank (unless it’s a species tank)

– They don’t require current but instead prefer calm waters

– Give them sinking shrimp pellets or beef heart as food, maybe along with bottom feeder tablets 3 times a month

– Keep them at 72 – 82 degrees Fahrenheit and a PH level of 6.5 – 7.5

– Keep them in 2 – 15 dGH water hardness

If you stick to these pointers, the Pygmy Cory Catfish should be fairly easy to take care of! With their peaceful nature and small size, this is definitely a beginner’s fish that won’t turn into too much trouble as long as it gets fed on time and its tank isn’t overpopulated! As always, feel free to leave any questions or comments down below. I hope you all found this helpful! See you next time! If no one comments, have a new year :)!

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